10 research outputs found
Related to Anxiety: Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding and Experimental Psychopathology Research on Fear and Avoidance
Humans have an unparalleled ability to engage in arbitrarily applicable
relational responding (AARR). One of the consequences of this ability to spontaneously
combine and relate events from the past, present, and future may, in fact, be a
propensity to suffer. For instance, maladaptive fear and avoidance of remote or derived
threats may actually perpetuate anxiety. In this narrative review, we consider contemporary
AARR research on fear and avoidance as it relates to anxiety. We first describe
laboratory-based research on the emergent spread of fear- and avoidance-eliciting
functions in humans. Next, we consider the validity of AARR research on fear and
avoidance and address the therapeutic implications of the work. Finally, we outline
challenges and opportunities for a greater synthesis between behavior analysis research
on AARR and experimental psychopathology