Understanding Perspective-taking, False Belief, and Deception from a Behavioural Perspective

Perspective-taking, understanding false belief and deception are considered by mainstream psychologists to be critical for competent cognitive development. Theory of Mind researchers, in particular, have devoted considerable attention to these cognitive domains. By contrast, these phenomena have traditionally attracted little or no interest from behavioural psychologists. This situation, however, has begun to change in recent years with behavioural researchers working under the rubric of Relational Frame Theory devoting considerable effort to empirical analyses of these cognitive abilities. The current paper reviews some of the first empirical evidence generated by the relational frame approach to perspective-taking, false belief and deception as related relational skills. The results of this work show considerable overlap with more traditional Theory of Mind findings, and thus suggest that these topics may be an important area of integration between these two disparate traditions. Additional evidence from studies in which specific relational repertoires were targeted for remediation when perspective-taking, false belief and deception were found to be absent also suggest the applicability of the relational frame interpretation of these abilities. Although much more work needs to be done, current empirical evidence suggests that from both conceptual and applied perspectives, the relational frame approach to these phenomena may be an important and fruitful avenue for future research

A Relational Frame Account of the Development of Complex Cognitive Phenomena: Perspective-taking, False Belief Understanding, and Deception

Cognitive psychologists have devoted considerable attention to the complex skills described as perspective-taking, understanding false belief, and deception. Much of the available research on these phenomena has been driven by a conceptual approach referred to as âTheory of Mindâ. The current paper reviews the Theory of Mind account of perspectivetaking, false belief and deception in terms of the development of increasingly complex levels of understanding the informational states of the self and others. In contrast, these phenomena have attracted little interest traditionally from behavioral psychologists, and the current paper presents conceptual and empirical evidence that this is changing. Specifically, an alternative approach to these skills from a functional behavioral framework is presented in the context of Relational Frame Theory, a modern behavioral account of human language and cognition. The paper describes the relational frame approach to perspective-taking, false belief and deception, and presents several recent studies that have investigated this approach. The results of the studies indicate the potential utility of this approach and also show considerable overlap with the results of Theory of Mind research

Teaching Derived Relational Responding to Young Children

Although it employs a relatively small array of behavioral concepts and processes, Relational Frame Theory provides an account of how some of the most complex verbal events can be understood behaviorally and may be established systematically. In the current paper, the findings from a research agenda that has clear and widespread implications for educational practice are summarized. This exciting research initiative consists of studies in which both simple and relatively complex forms of derived relational responding have been targeted for assessment and remediation using interventions driven by Relational Frame Theory. A key theme running throughout the diverse content covered in this research program is the role of a basic understanding of relational responding in the teaching of critical cognitive or verbal repertoires in children. The article argues that identifying the core relational units involved in these cognitive skills, and targeting their fluid and flexible development with appropriate training, will lead to significant improvements in the methods used in many educational settings

Patterns of relational responding and a healthy self in older adolescents

Evidence from Contextual Behavioral Science indicates that two patterns of relating facilitate a sense of self, namely, self-as-distinction and self-as-hierarchy. Although the latter has been associated with better mental health outcomes relative to self-as-distinction, to date these types of relating have not been examined directly at a baseline level, wherein manipulation has not occurred. The present study examined the relative contribution of self-as-distinction and self-as-hierarchy on depression, stress, and anxiety in a sample of 102 young people, while controlling for deictic ability and gender. The role of psychological flexibility was also examined using mediation analysis. While self-as-hierarchy emerged as a significant predictor of lower levels of stress and depression, psychological flexibility was not found to mediate this relationship. Self-as-distinction did not emerge as a significant predictor of any outcome variable. Suggestions for future research on the basis of these findings are discussed

Cognitive defusion versus experiential avoidance in the reduction of smoking behaviour: an experimental and preliminary investigation

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Background: Brief procedures that reduce smoking behaviour may be useful in reaching the many people that do not seek help for smoking addiction. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine if one component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cognitive defusion, could be useful in reducing smoking behaviour in a sample of students. Methods: The study employed a between-subjects three-arm design. For one week, participants were asked to reduce their cigarette consumption. To aid them in their reduction, participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: the first received a defusion procedure, the second received an experiential avoidance procedure and a control condition received no procedure. For a second week, the instruction to reduce cigarette consumption was lifted. During both weeks participants were required to monitor their smoking behaviour via a tally diary system. Results: The defusion condition smoked significantly less than the control condition during week one and significantly less than the control and experiential avoidance conditions during week two. Conclusion: Results are discussed in terms of the potential utility of defusion in this domain, and the limitations of this preliminary research that would need to be addressed in future investigations

Integrating Storytelling into the Theory and Practice of Contextual Behavioral Science

The practice of generating and interpreting stories can be examined through a behavioral lens and has many potential implications for clinical practice. However, storytelling has for the most part yet to be integrated into the field of contextual behavioral science (CBS). A bedrock of human culture, storytelling has influenced both individual behavior and intergroup cooperation for millennia. Basic principles of relational frame theory, such as those pertaining to coherence, perspective-taking, and the transformation of stimulus function, may help to reveal how stories derive their psychological impact. In turn, understanding storytelling from a CBS perspective can facilitate the broader integration of narrative methods into clinical interventions, which may help in expanding the reach and impact of individual, group, and self-help interventions. Suggestions for integrating storytelling into practice are provided as are future directions for studying the behavioral mechanisms of storytelling

Relational Frame Theory: Some Implications for Understanding and Treating Human Psychopathology

In the current paper, we attempt to show how both the basic and applied sciences of behavior analysis have been transformed by the modern research agenda in human language and cognition, known as Relational Frame Theory (RFT). At the level of basic process, the paper argues that the burgeoning literature on derived stimulus relations calls for a reinterpretation of complex human behavior that extends beyond a purely contingencybased analysis. Specifically, the paper aims to show how a more complete account of complex human behavior includes an analysis of relational frames, relational networks, relating relations, rules, perspective-taking, and the concept of self. According to the theory, this analysis gives rise to a new interpretation of human psychopathology that necessarily transforms the applied science of behavior therapy. The current paper is divided into three parts. In Part 1, we provide a brief summary of the integrated history of behavioral psychology and behavior therapy, including their emphases on the principles of classical and operant conditioning as the basis for an account of human psychopathology. In Part 2, the core features of RFT are presented, including the three concepts of bidirectional stimulus relations, relating relations, and rule-governance that constitute critical components of the RFT approach to human psychopathology. The paper therein attempts to illustrate, with the use of clinically relevant examples, the ways in which these concepts can be used to understand psychopathology and psychotherapy. In Part 3, RFT interpretations of three central features of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), namely acceptance, defusion, and values are provided with a view to demonstrating the utility of basic RFT concepts in the treatment of human suffering

Psychological Acceptance: Experimental Analyses and Theoretical Interpretations

There has been a recent explosion of interest in experiential avoidance as a source of human psychopathology and acceptance-based interventions as a means of combating the deleterious effects of such avoidance. Most of this work has focused on clinical outcome measures, but a small body of research has also employed experimental analogs. The first part of the current article reviews the key studies in this analog research and concludes that the results support the argument that acceptance interventions provide some possible advantages over more traditional control- or distraction-based interventions. The second part of the article provides the beginnings of a technical analysis of acceptance in terms of Relational Frame Theory, a modern behavioral approach to human language and cognition

Remediating rigid rule-following in subclinical obsessive-compulsive disorder using a brief mindfulness task: A case-control pilot study

A pioneering experiment by Hayes et al. (1986) demonstrated the influence of instructional control and rule-governed behaviour on sensitivity to alternating reinforcement schedules. Hassoulas et al. (2017) replicated the same experimental design in a sample of participants exhibiting obsessive-compulsive behavioural (OCB) traits, supporting the results reported by the original study but also providing further insights into the maintenance of rigid rule following in OCB. The current pilot study replicated the same experimental design and procedure once again, however in considering whether a brief mindfulness-based intervention would facilitate contact with schedule contingencies in a group of participants exhibiting OCB traits. A total of 78 participants were recruited, 38 of whom exhibited OCB traits as measured using the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). The results revealed a significant difference in sensitivity to changing schedules between the group of participants exhibiting OCB traits and those with few such traits (n=40), dependent on the degree of instructional accuracy they were provided with. The findings of the current study provide insights into the proposed concomitant administration of mindfulness-based interventions, alongside traditional first-line therapeutic modalities currently administered in the management of obsessive-compulsive disorder