Advances in Relational Frame Theory: Research and Application

by Simon Dymond (Editor), Bryan Roche (Editor), Jan De Houwer (Foreword by)

Overview

As acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) increases in popularity among clinicians, it becomes more and more vital to understand its theoretical basis, relational frame theory (RFT). RFT is a psychological theory of human language and cognition, developed by Steven C. Hayes. It focuses on how humans learn language and how language connects them to their environment. In essence, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are dependent on our experiences and the context that these experiences provide.

Edited by leading relational frame theory (RFT) scholars, Simon Dymond, PhD, and Bryan Roche, PhD, Advances in Relational Frame Theory presents advances in all aspects of RFT research over the last decade, and provides a greater understanding of the core principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The book also contains chapters written by Steven C. Hayes and Kelly Wilson, both research-active experts from the RFT community around the world.

Because ACT is focused largely on accepting one’s thoughts, it is important to understand where these thoughts come from. And while many books on RFT are abstract and require extensive knowledge of behavior analysis, this is the first book to comprehensively but accessibly introduce RFT to ACT mental health professionals.

Gaining a deeper knowledge of the relational concepts of RFT can help you understand why a person's behavior does not always match up with their self-professed values. Whether you are a mental health professional, or simply someone who is interested in the connection between language and experience, this book is an invaluable resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608824496
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Simon Dymond, PhD, BCBA-D, is a reader in psychology at Swansea University. He received his undergraduate training and PhD (in 1996) from University College Cork, where he studied under Dermot Barnes-Holmes. He has published over seventy empirical research articles on derived relational responding, avoidance, and gambling, and currently sits on several editorial boards of publications, including the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and The Psychological Record.

Bryan Roche, PhD, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, graduated with his doctorate in behavior analysis in 1995, after which he took up academic posts at University College Cork, Ireland and the University of Bath, UK. His current position is at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Roche has published approximately eighty articles, peer-reviewed papers, and book chapters on relational frame theory (RFT) and related topics. In particular, his research has involved the application of RFT to the study of social and sexual behavior, the understanding and treatment of anxiety, and most recently the development of online relational frame training interventions to increase intelligence quotients (raiseyouriq.com). He was coeditor of the book Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Analysis of Language and Cognition (2001). Roche currently sits on the editorial boards of several behavior-analytic journals, and is a regular ad-hoc reviewer for several of the major international journals of behavioral psychology.

Foreword writer Jan De Houwer, PhD, has authored and coauthored more than 160 publications in international journals, including Psychological Bulletin; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He is currently editor of the journal Cognition and Emotion.

Simon Dymond, PhD, is a reader in psychology at Swansea University. He received his undergraduate training and PhD (in 1996) from University College Cork, where he studied under Dermot Barnes-Holmes. He has published over seventy empirical research articles on derived relational responding, avoidance, and gambling, and currently sits on several editorial boards of publications, including the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and The Psychological Record.

Bryan Roche, PhD, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, graduated with his doctorate in behavior analysis in 1995, after which he took up academic posts at University College Cork, Ireland and the University of Bath, UK. His current position is at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Roche has published approximately eighty articles, peer-reviewed papers, and book chapters on relational frame theory (RFT) and related topics. In particular, his research has involved the application of RFT to the study of social and sexual behavior, the understanding and treatment of anxiety, and most recently the development of online relational frame training interventions to increase intelligence quotients (raiseyouriq.com). He was coeditor of the book Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Analysis of Language and Cognition (2001). Roche currently sits on the editorial boards of several behavior-analytic journals, and is a regular ad-hoc reviewer for several of the major international journals of behavioral psychology.

 

Table of Contents

List of Contributors ix

Foreword Jan De Houwer xi

Introduction Simon Dymond Bryan Roche 1

Part I Philosophical Foundations of Relational Frame Theory & Contextual Behavioral Science

1 Contextual Behavioral Science, Evolution, and Scientific Epistemology Steven C. Hayes Douglas M. Long 5

2 The Pragmatic Truth Criterion and Values in Contextual Behavioral Science Kelly G. Wilson Kerry Whiteman Michael Bordieri 27

Part II Advances in Basic Research on Relational Frame Theory

3 Relational Frame Theory: An Overview Ian Stewart Bryan Roche 51

4 Reframing Relational Frame Theory Research: Gaining a New Perspective through the Application of Novel Behavioral and Neurophysiological Methods Robert Whelan Michael W. Schlund Johns Hopkins 73

5 A Functional Approach to the Study of Implicit Cognition: The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) and the Relational Elaboration and Coherence (REC) Model Sean Hughes Dermot Barnes-Holmes 97

6 Advances in Research on Deictic Relations and Perspective-Taking Yvonne Barnes-Holmes Mairéad Foody Dermot Barnes-Holmes Louise McHugh 127

Part III Applications of Relational Frame Theory

7 Advances in Language Interventions Based on Relational Frame Theory for Individuals with Developmental Disorders Clarissa S. Barnes Ruth Anne Rehfeldt 151

8 Education, Intellectual Development, and Relational Frame Theory Ian Stewart Jonathan Tarbox Bryan Roche Denis O'Hora 177

9 Relational Frame Theory and Experimental Psychopathology Simon Dymond Bryan Roche Marc Bennett 199

10 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Empirical and Theoretical Considerations John T. Blackledge Chad E. Drake 219

11 Putting Relational Frame Theory (RFT) to Work: Current and Future RFT Research in Organizational Behavior Management Denis O'Hora Kristen Maglieri Triona Tammemagi 253

Index 271

Interviews

Simon Dymond lives in Swansea, UK , and Bryan Roche lives in Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

“The interest in relational frame theory is growing within different fields of psychology. For anyone who wants to keep up-to-date with basic research in this area, this is the book to read.”

—Niklas Törneke MD, author of Learning RFT



“Psychology is full of theories of mind, but relational frame theory (RFT) differs from all the rest in many ways. You see that when you open up this book. This lucid and engaging volume brings together the latest cutting-edge research and theory on RFT. It will challenge you in many ways, and also surprise you. It is a must-read for anyone interested in language and cognition, and especially researchers and practitioners of mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions.”

—John P. Forsyth, PhD, professor of psychology director, Anxiety Disorders Research Program University at Albany, State University of New York



“Dymond and Roche have put together an outstanding volume that not only provides an excellent and accessible overview of relational frame theory and its rapidly accumulating empirical evidence, but also elegantly situates RFT in its proper philosophical context, makes contact with other contextually-based sciences, and elucidates nicely the many applied extensions of the theory. This book is a must and enjoyable read for anyone interested in RFT as a powerful new approach to language and cognition as well as its compelling applications.”

—Michael J. Dougher, PhD, senior vice-provost for academic affairs, University of New Mexico



“Relational frame theory addresses the fundamental nature of symbolic thought in addition to its practical applications. It therefore deserves to be known among a large interdisciplinary audience, including my own field of evolutionary science. Advances in Relational Frame Theory reports on the current state of the art.”

—David Sloan Wilson, president of the Evolution Institute and State University of New York distinguished professor of biology and anthropology, Binghamton University

From the Publisher