Association for Behavior Analysis International

Language generativity is an essential repertoire for individuals who will weather the worsening socio-economic, political and institutional storms. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) suggests that the generalized contextually controlled operant key to its development is arbitrarily applicable derived relational responding (AADRR). Accelerating arbitrary derivation is strongly correlated with standardized measures of intelligence, educational outcomes, perspective-taking, emotional regulation and executive function. The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OEDC) predicts that critical and creative thinking, empathy, self-efficacy, a sense of responsibility and collaboration, and the flexibility to use new information and technology tools must fully integrate to produce broadly adaptable individuals. For those with language deficits, there is a sense of urgency to render accessible, feasible and highly efficient therapeutic instructional contexts. This talk will explore the dimensions of relational development across frames as measured by complexity, flexibility, derivation and coherence that synthesize to form the language processes typical of the socio-verbal community. Using a novel relational language assessment, a scoped and sequenced curriculum informed by explicit instructional methods, and the precision teaching system of measurement, participants’ relational language and comprehension repertoires were analyzed and relevant component skills were trained to fluency. Implications and recommendations for applied practitioners will be discussed.

Behavior analysis is an advanced subject matter, composed of a complex network of jargon. Using nonequivalence framing is critical for understanding concepts in the natural sciences and for complex problem-solving. While emergent learning instruction has demonstrated efficacy in tightly controlled settings for advanced learners, ecological validity is still in question. This study evaluated the effects of using a systematic arrangement of instruction based on relational frame theory (RFT) to teach several behavior analytic relational networks: behavioral dimensions, measurement procedures, and data products. The asynchronous instruction was disseminated via the Qualtrics survey technology to eight participants who experienced the training at their home or work office. A multiple baseline design across stimulus sets was used to evaluate the emergence of derivation across relational networks and the application of those relations on novel examples. Emergence of derived relations across networks was evident throughout the training. The dosage of direct instruction needed to meet generalization criteria to stop training was found to be idiosyncratic. Six out of the eight participants did not need to complete the entire training to meet generalization criterion. This translational study demonstrated the power of RFT and how it can be harnessed to teach complex skills repertoires.