14 research outputs found
Assessing the Efficacy of a Relational Skills Training Intervention in Improving Intellectual Function in a Sample of High IQ Adults
Recent advances in Relational Frame Theory have proposed that levels of
sophistication with relational concepts may be of fundamental importance to intelligent
behaviour. Furthermore, previous investigations have implicated the efficacy of relational
skills intervention in improving intellectual performance, as measured by traditional IQ
assessments. The current thesis aimed to extend upon such research by further assessing the
contribution of relational ability to intelligence, as well as the effect of relational skills
training on intellectual performance. In the first study, thirty-four high IQ college students
were recruited to assess the effectiveness of a relational training protocol in increasing
WAIS-III IQ scores when compared to a non-intervention group. The current analysis failed
to report a significant effect of relational training in increasing scores on the Full, Verbal or
Performance IQ. While there was a significant effect of training on Verbal Comprehension
scores, this effect was not found for the other IQ subindices.
The second study involved a correlational analysis of WAIS-III IQ scores and
relational ability scores. Results indicated a high level of correlation between these
measures, further proposing the importance of relational responding to intelligence. In
addition, this investigation aimed to further explore possible reasons for the diminished effect
of relational training in improving intellectual performance in the first study. It must be
noted that while pronounced practice effects found for the control group rendered betweengroup
differences insignificant, there were qualitatively different rises witnessed in subtest
scores. Specifically, while both groups displayed significant increases on subtests that
involved a timed element, only the experimental group displayed significant increases on
untimed subtests. Furthermore, high IQ was not found to significantly correlate with postintervention
IQ rises. However, the current sample displayed IQ gains significantly lower
than that witnessed in average IQ cohorts. While the current analysis identifies a number of
possible boundary conditions of the current intervention, much remains to be understood in
terms of variables that may exert an influence on the effectiveness of relational training in
improving intellectual performance
Relational Skills and Intelligence: Developing a Functional Account of Intellectual Performance and its Enhancement
Recent research has implicated the potential utility of reconceptualising general
intelligence as representing proficiency in a behavioural skillset known as relational
responding. Indeed, a growing literature base proposes that many of the competencies
that are traditionally conceived to comprise ‘intelligence’ can actually be understood
from this more functional perspective. In addition, as these relational skills are
inherently malleable and open to amelioration, a number of analyses have suggested
that intellectual function can be improved by training and targeting these skills. In light
of this emerging research stream, the current thesis entailed two primary aims: 1) to
assess the efficacy of relational skills training in improving intellectual and academic
performance and 2) to further investigate the relationship between the wider range of
relational frames and intellectual function as a potential means of developing a
functional alternative to traditional IQ assessments based on behaviour-analytic
principles.
In Experiment 1, the efficacy of the SMART program in significantly improving
relational responding proficiency was confirmed, using a large sample of Irish
secondary school students. Experiment 2 extended upon this finding by analysing the
utility of this program in improving intellectual performance using a single-blind
randomised controlled trial, reporting significant gains in Full-Scale, Verbal and
Performance IQ.
As pre-intervention levels of relational ability were found to be an important
determinant of post-intervention outcomes, Experiment 3 endeavoured to further
investigate this pattern by administering SMART to the youngest, normally-developing
sample to date using a crossover design. Statistical analyses revealed the apparent
delimiting impact of low levels of intellectual ability at baseline, with only a small
proportion of the sample completing the training program within a 4-month period. In
light of this finding, Experiment 4 represented the first analysis of the SMART:
Remedial system, a training protocol specifically designed to establish the arbitrarily
applicable relational skills deemed prerequisite for the main SMART program, as a
means of allowing younger children, and those with lower levels of relational
skill/intellectual performance to access the benefits the SMART program may provide.
Results indicated that such skills were successfully established in a sample of children
presenting with additional educational needs and below-average IQ.
Due to the recurrent finding that SMART is an efficacious means of improving
intellectual function, Experiment 5 assessed the impact of this training on academic
performance in a large sample of secondary school students. SMART was found to
produce significant improvements on the Irish Department of Education’s academic
aptitude assessment of choice, the Drumcondra Reasoning Tests.
Experiments 6 & 7 aimed to elucidate the relationship between specific frames
of relational responding and intellectual skills by administering two relational skills
assessments alongside gold-standard metrics of intellectual performance. Such analyses
identified the relational frames of coordination, opposition and comparison as being
most closely associated to intellectual function. In addition, such analyses provide
important insights into the role of analogical and deictic relational responding in
intellectual performance.
The results of the current thesis combine to suggest that relational skills
interventions may facilitate potentially life-changing improvements in both intellectual
and academic performance at a level of magnitude and consistency that has not been
replicated by other ‘cognitive enhancement’ protocols. In addition, the insights gleaned
from the current set of analyses add further weight to the suggestion that intelligence
may be reconsidered as a clearly-defined, functionally-understood, and malleable
behavioural repertoire, rather than an invariant, trait-based, mentalistic construct
Relational Skills and Intelligence: Developing a Functional Account of Intellectual Performance and its Enhancement
Recent research has implicated the potential utility of reconceptualising general
intelligence as representing proficiency in a behavioural skillset known as relational
responding. Indeed, a growing literature base proposes that many of the competencies
that are traditionally conceived to comprise ‘intelligence’ can actually be understood
from this more functional perspective. In addition, as these relational skills are
inherently malleable and open to amelioration, a number of analyses have suggested
that intellectual function can be improved by training and targeting these skills. In light
of this emerging research stream, the current thesis entailed two primary aims: 1) to
assess the efficacy of relational skills training in improving intellectual and academic
performance and 2) to further investigate the relationship between the wider range of
relational frames and intellectual function as a potential means of developing a
functional alternative to traditional IQ assessments based on behaviour-analytic
principles.
In Experiment 1, the efficacy of the SMART program in significantly improving
relational responding proficiency was confirmed, using a large sample of Irish
secondary school students. Experiment 2 extended upon this finding by analysing the
utility of this program in improving intellectual performance using a single-blind
randomised controlled trial, reporting significant gains in Full-Scale, Verbal and
Performance IQ.
As pre-intervention levels of relational ability were found to be an important
determinant of post-intervention outcomes, Experiment 3 endeavoured to further
investigate this pattern by administering SMART to the youngest, normally-developing
sample to date using a crossover design. Statistical analyses revealed the apparent
delimiting impact of low levels of intellectual ability at baseline, with only a small
proportion of the sample completing the training program within a 4-month period. In
light of this finding, Experiment 4 represented the first analysis of the SMART:
Remedial system, a training protocol specifically designed to establish the arbitrarily
applicable relational skills deemed prerequisite for the main SMART program, as a
means of allowing younger children, and those with lower levels of relational
skill/intellectual performance to access the benefits the SMART program may provide.
Results indicated that such skills were successfully established in a sample of children
presenting with additional educational needs and below-average IQ.
Due to the recurrent finding that SMART is an efficacious means of improving
intellectual function, Experiment 5 assessed the impact of this training on academic
performance in a large sample of secondary school students. SMART was found to
produce significant improvements on the Irish Department of Education’s academic
aptitude assessment of choice, the Drumcondra Reasoning Tests.
Experiments 6 & 7 aimed to elucidate the relationship between specific frames
of relational responding and intellectual skills by administering two relational skills
assessments alongside gold-standard metrics of intellectual performance. Such analyses
identified the relational frames of coordination, opposition and comparison as being
most closely associated to intellectual function. In addition, such analyses provide
important insights into the role of analogical and deictic relational responding in
intellectual performance.
The results of the current thesis combine to suggest that relational skills
interventions may facilitate potentially life-changing improvements in both intellectual
and academic performance at a level of magnitude and consistency that has not been
replicated by other ‘cognitive enhancement’ protocols. In addition, the insights gleaned
from the current set of analyses add further weight to the suggestion that intelligence
may be reconsidered as a clearly-defined, functionally-understood, and malleable
behavioural repertoire, rather than an invariant, trait-based, mentalistic construct
Assessing the Efficacy of a Relational Skills Training Intervention in Improving Intellectual Function in a Sample of High IQ Adults
Recent advances in Relational Frame Theory have proposed that levels of
sophistication with relational concepts may be of fundamental importance to intelligent
behaviour. Furthermore, previous investigations have implicated the efficacy of relational
skills intervention in improving intellectual performance, as measured by traditional IQ
assessments. The current thesis aimed to extend upon such research by further assessing the
contribution of relational ability to intelligence, as well as the effect of relational skills
training on intellectual performance. In the first study, thirty-four high IQ college students
were recruited to assess the effectiveness of a relational training protocol in increasing
WAIS-III IQ scores when compared to a non-intervention group. The current analysis failed
to report a significant effect of relational training in increasing scores on the Full, Verbal or
Performance IQ. While there was a significant effect of training on Verbal Comprehension
scores, this effect was not found for the other IQ subindices.
The second study involved a correlational analysis of WAIS-III IQ scores and
relational ability scores. Results indicated a high level of correlation between these
measures, further proposing the importance of relational responding to intelligence. In
addition, this investigation aimed to further explore possible reasons for the diminished effect
of relational training in improving intellectual performance in the first study. It must be
noted that while pronounced practice effects found for the control group rendered betweengroup
differences insignificant, there were qualitatively different rises witnessed in subtest
scores. Specifically, while both groups displayed significant increases on subtests that
involved a timed element, only the experimental group displayed significant increases on
untimed subtests. Furthermore, high IQ was not found to significantly correlate with postintervention
IQ rises. However, the current sample displayed IQ gains significantly lower
than that witnessed in average IQ cohorts. While the current analysis identifies a number of
possible boundary conditions of the current intervention, much remains to be understood in
terms of variables that may exert an influence on the effectiveness of relational training in
improving intellectual performance
Assessing the Efficacy of a Relational Skills Training Intervention in Improving Intellectual Function in a Sample of High IQ Adults
Recent advances in Relational Frame Theory have proposed that levels of
sophistication with relational concepts may be of fundamental importance to intelligent
behaviour. Furthermore, previous investigations have implicated the efficacy of relational
skills intervention in improving intellectual performance, as measured by traditional IQ
assessments. The current thesis aimed to extend upon such research by further assessing the
contribution of relational ability to intelligence, as well as the effect of relational skills
training on intellectual performance. In the first study, thirty-four high IQ college students
were recruited to assess the effectiveness of a relational training protocol in increasing
WAIS-III IQ scores when compared to a non-intervention group. The current analysis failed
to report a significant effect of relational training in increasing scores on the Full, Verbal or
Performance IQ. While there was a significant effect of training on Verbal Comprehension
scores, this effect was not found for the other IQ subindices.
The second study involved a correlational analysis of WAIS-III IQ scores and
relational ability scores. Results indicated a high level of correlation between these
measures, further proposing the importance of relational responding to intelligence. In
addition, this investigation aimed to further explore possible reasons for the diminished effect
of relational training in improving intellectual performance in the first study. It must be
noted that while pronounced practice effects found for the control group rendered betweengroup
differences insignificant, there were qualitatively different rises witnessed in subtest
scores. Specifically, while both groups displayed significant increases on subtests that
involved a timed element, only the experimental group displayed significant increases on
untimed subtests. Furthermore, high IQ was not found to significantly correlate with postintervention
IQ rises. However, the current sample displayed IQ gains significantly lower
than that witnessed in average IQ cohorts. While the current analysis identifies a number of
possible boundary conditions of the current intervention, much remains to be understood in
terms of variables that may exert an influence on the effectiveness of relational training in
improving intellectual performance
Relational Skills and Intelligence: Developing a Functional Account of Intellectual Performance and its Enhancement
Recent research has implicated the potential utility of reconceptualising general
intelligence as representing proficiency in a behavioural skillset known as relational
responding. Indeed, a growing literature base proposes that many of the competencies
that are traditionally conceived to comprise ‘intelligence’ can actually be understood
from this more functional perspective. In addition, as these relational skills are
inherently malleable and open to amelioration, a number of analyses have suggested
that intellectual function can be improved by training and targeting these skills. In light
of this emerging research stream, the current thesis entailed two primary aims: 1) to
assess the efficacy of relational skills training in improving intellectual and academic
performance and 2) to further investigate the relationship between the wider range of
relational frames and intellectual function as a potential means of developing a
functional alternative to traditional IQ assessments based on behaviour-analytic
principles.
In Experiment 1, the efficacy of the SMART program in significantly improving
relational responding proficiency was confirmed, using a large sample of Irish
secondary school students. Experiment 2 extended upon this finding by analysing the
utility of this program in improving intellectual performance using a single-blind
randomised controlled trial, reporting significant gains in Full-Scale, Verbal and
Performance IQ.
As pre-intervention levels of relational ability were found to be an important
determinant of post-intervention outcomes, Experiment 3 endeavoured to further
investigate this pattern by administering SMART to the youngest, normally-developing
sample to date using a crossover design. Statistical analyses revealed the apparent
delimiting impact of low levels of intellectual ability at baseline, with only a small
proportion of the sample completing the training program within a 4-month period. In
light of this finding, Experiment 4 represented the first analysis of the SMART:
Remedial system, a training protocol specifically designed to establish the arbitrarily
applicable relational skills deemed prerequisite for the main SMART program, as a
means of allowing younger children, and those with lower levels of relational
skill/intellectual performance to access the benefits the SMART program may provide.
Results indicated that such skills were successfully established in a sample of children
presenting with additional educational needs and below-average IQ.
Due to the recurrent finding that SMART is an efficacious means of improving
intellectual function, Experiment 5 assessed the impact of this training on academic
performance in a large sample of secondary school students. SMART was found to
produce significant improvements on the Irish Department of Education’s academic
aptitude assessment of choice, the Drumcondra Reasoning Tests.
Experiments 6 & 7 aimed to elucidate the relationship between specific frames
of relational responding and intellectual skills by administering two relational skills
assessments alongside gold-standard metrics of intellectual performance. Such analyses
identified the relational frames of coordination, opposition and comparison as being
most closely associated to intellectual function. In addition, such analyses provide
important insights into the role of analogical and deictic relational responding in
intellectual performance.
The results of the current thesis combine to suggest that relational skills
interventions may facilitate potentially life-changing improvements in both intellectual
and academic performance at a level of magnitude and consistency that has not been
replicated by other ‘cognitive enhancement’ protocols. In addition, the insights gleaned
from the current set of analyses add further weight to the suggestion that intelligence
may be reconsidered as a clearly-defined, functionally-understood, and malleable
behavioural repertoire, rather than an invariant, trait-based, mentalistic construct
Nouvelle parution de [VertigO] : Les approches écosystémiques de la santé dans la francophonie
Dans le cadre du colloque EcoHealth 2014 qui se tient à Montréal du 11 au 15 août 2014, [VertigO] - la revue électronique en sciences de l'environnement lance son 19e Hors-série - un dossier sur l'approche écosanté. L’écosanté est un domaine qui «vise la santé durable pour les personnes, la faune et les écosystèmes par le biais de la promotion de la découverte, de la compréhension et de la transdisciplinarité». La croissance de l’intérêt et de l’engagement scientifiques en écosanté se traduit..
The Relational Abilities Index+: Initial Validation of a Functionally Understood Proxy Measure for Intelligence
The Relational Abilities Index (RAI) has shown considerable utility as a functional
proxy measurement of intellectual performance by providing a metric of an important
skill set known as relational skills, which are proposed to underlie much of what we
conceive of as intellectual behavior. The Relational Abilities Index+ (RAI+) assesses
performance across an extended range of relational skills (Same/Opposite, More/Less,
Same/Different, Before/After, and Analogy), and has been designed to provide a more
comprehensive and nuanced assessment of relational skills. The current study aims to
investigate the validity and utility of the RAI+ by assessing its degree of correlation
with well-established assessments of intelligence (WASI), numeracy (WAIS: Arithmetic),
and educational attainment (WIAT-T-II). Results indicate that the RAI+ displays
considerable efficacy in predicting intellectual performance and numeracy, but not
educational attainment
On the structure of relational responding
Relational Frame Theory (RFT, Hayes et al., 2001) predicts that some topographies of relational responding should map onto one another more closely than others. By extension, training one type of relational responding should differentially improve other relational responses as a function of their relatedness to the trained relation. We investigated these predictions in two experiments. Using an elaborated version of the Relational Abilities Index (Colbert et al., 2020) in Experiment 1, we investigated the correlations between various types of relational responding. In Experiment 2, we then provided targeted relational training to two separate groups. Both groups trained on a different relation (either difference or containment relations). We found that this training not only increased performance on the directly trained relation, but also performance on other related relations
Can SMART Training Really Increase Intelligence? A Replication Study
A burgeoning research stream supports the efficacy of a novel behavior-analytic intervention, known as SMART training, in raising general intelligence by training a set of crucial cognitive skills, referred to as relational skills. A sample of Irish secondary school students (n = 26) was divided into two IQ matched groups, with the experimental group receiving 12 weeks of SMART training delivered in bi-weekly 45-min sessions. WASI IQ assessments were administered at baseline and follow-up to all participants by blind testers. For each of the three WASI IQ indices and the four IQ subtests, significant follow-up rises were found for the experimental group only. Analyses of variance indicated a significant effect of training on Verbal IQ, Matrix Reasoning and Vocabulary scores. Results lend further support for the efficacy of the SMART training program in enhancing intellectual skills