WorldCon XIII
Reno, NV
June 19-26, 2010
Contextual Behavioral Science
and the Role of RFT
Steven C. Hayes
University of Nevada
Our Society
• By consensus of the group, our association is
not named for ACT, or RFT, or 3rd generation
CBT
• This talk is about what it is named for and why
it matters.
• I want to suggest that the approach this group
is taking is coherent, and potentially important
to the field at large
When Behavior Therapy Started
• During the first wave of behavior therapy
which involved "operationally defined learning
theory and conformity to well established
experimental paradigms" (Franks & Wilson,
1974)
• This contained a model of how to produce
progress, and what it would look like:
empirical validation AND a link to basic
processes and coherent theory
And When Behavior Analysis Started
• It embraced a bottom up, inductive vision
• Begin with the individual, non-verbal
organism and scale into human complexity
• Move toward the largest prize: projecting
behavioral science into every aspect of human
functioning (think Walden II)
Changes in Behavior Therapy
• Clinicians soon thought they needed a better
way to deal with cognition than basic
behavioral principles
• And they could not figure out how to do so
using basic cognitive science so they began
to create clinical theories of cognition
• With the advent of traditional CBT the vision
of progress changed
Meanwhile in Behavior Analysis
• Unable to overcome the problems of human
verbal behavior, ABA began to focus more on
children, DD or institutionalized populations
• Verbal behavior became much more a matter of
interpretative adoption of Skinner’s approach
• But with that its original vision became lost or
merely rhetorical
An Alternative Path
• In the early-1980s we did 7-8 component and
basic studies on what accounted for CBT
effects – none of the results fit with a
traditional cognitive model and we abandoned
that line of work
• We wanted a general theory that would work:
bottom up, coherent, broadly applicable
• And we tried to find a way forward by
tweaking a behavior analytic strategy
Behavior Analysis
• Its contextual and pragmatic nature
(“prediction and influence” as a goal) fits with
clinical goals and it contains readily
manipulable independent variables
• And it’s inductive strategy did work … until
it hit the issue of cognition
• We thought we might be able to overcome
that and to modernize the strategy
The Oft-Told Tale
• What happened from 1985 until 1999 was not
just the development of RFT, or the maturing
of ACT
• We ended up with a strategy for progress:
CBS
CBS
• In this talk I will describe the major features of
contextual behavioral science as an approach to
scientific development.
• I will argue that while it is slow, it is steady and
can speed up as the group grows
• And like the story of the hare racing the turtle, a
slow turtle may have some advantages in the
long run
Contextual Behavioral Science
• Our mission is bold: creation of a
comprehensive psychological science more
adequate to the challenges of the human
condition
• But our strategy is humble: contextual,
inductive, pragmatic, participatory, and at
times small n.
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1. Philosophy
Philosophy:
Functional Contextualism
• What is philosophy of science
• Why most empirical traditions in the
behavioral sciences skip over this step
• Why we cannot
Philosophy:
Functional Contextualism
• Monistic, radically pragmatic, contextualistic and
a-ontological
– The world is one – our behavior partitions it
– “Truth” refers to what works: to consequences
– Like an arrow shot “true,” to determine what
works we need your target – your goals
– An ontological leap adds nothing to knowledge
claims
Philosophy:
Functional Contextualism
• Psychological level of analysis: Act-in-context of
whole organisms
• Our goal in CBS: Prediction and influence with
precision, scope, and depth
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1. Philosophy
2. Basic account
Basic Account:
Behavioral Principles as Extended by
Relational Frame Theory (RFT)
• CBS strategy aims for an account that is bottom up,
inductive, and yet broadly applicable
• That strategy requires a basic, technical account that
continuously informs application and vice versa,
based on a contextual behavioral approach
• What CBS adds is this: it is our responsibility as a
whole community, applied folks included
Early Work in Rule-Governance Led to RFT
• We showed in the early 1980’s that verbal
interventions could undermine excessive control
by verbal rules, but that led to …
• What controls the impact of a verbal stimulus?
• In fact, what is a verbal stimulus?
• So “taking responsibility” meant that we started
out with how to do psychotherapy and ended up
with this question: “what is language and
cognition?”
Seeds of an Answer:
Normal Human Adults do this in
Some Relational Contexts …
Mutual
entailment
Combinatorial
entailment
Limoo
Betrang
But Why?
And They do This in Some
Functional Contexts …..
salivation
bumpy
lemonade
sour
yellow
citrus
salivation
bumpy
lemonade
Betrang
citrus
But Why?
sour
yellow
Transformation of
functions
Our Dumb Behavioral Idea
• Maybe it is operant behavior
• Could it be viewed as a contextual
controlled overarching relational
operant, based originally on multiple
exemplar training?
• If so “equivalence” is one of many such
relational actions
A Classic Example all Parents Know
A child learns that a nickel is “smaller than” a dime
5
10
And thus that a dime
is “bigger than” a nickel
5
10
Good
good
& is worth more
If
5
then
10
We Now Know Can Teach Them
Berens & Hayes, 2007
4 year olds
Teach (with “coins”)
“This is more than
that. Which would
you use to buy
candy?”
Steps: A > B; A < B;
mixed; A > B > C; A
< B < C; mixed; A <
B, C > A
Test for
generalization with
novel sets
3/22/2016
And They Generalize
3/22/2016
We Now Know That
• Without relational operants children do not
develop language
• Relational frames change how other
behavioral processes work
• We can model cognitive phenomena
behavioral and neurobiologically using RFT
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1. Philosophy
2. Basic account
3. Clinical model
Clinical Model:
The Hexaflex
• A model of psychopathology / human
growth and a model of treatment linked to
behavioral principles and RFT
• It is an operating system: these are not basic
principles, they are middle level processes
linked to basic principles. It’s OSX, not C++
• Why an operating system
Hexagon Model of
Treatment
Contact with the
Present Moment
Acceptance
Values
Psychological
Flexibility
Defusion
Committed
Action
Self as
Context
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
Philosophy
Basic account
Clinical model
Components
Components
• Manipulable processes linked to basic principles
MUST lead to active treatment components,
otherwise that part of the theory MUST be
discarded
• These processes can be tested tightly,
frequently, and early in experimental
psychopathology and smaller clinical studies
and inform treatment development
38 Published Studies on ACT Components
Acceptance
Defusion
Contact
with
Present
Self-asContext
Combinations of
Four Mindfulness
Components
Values
Other
Combination
Campbell-Sills
et al., 2006
Marcks &
Woods,
2005
Cioffi &
Holloway,
1993
Williams,
2007
Arch & Craske, 2006
Cohen et al., 2000
Gutiérrez et al.,
2004
Eifert &
Heffner, 2003
Marcks &
Woods,
2007
Kingston et
al., 2007
Broderick, 2005
Cohen et al., 2006
McMullen et al.,
2008
Levitt et al.,
2004
Masuda et
al., 2004
Leventhal et
al., 1989
Burns, 2006
Creswell et al.,
2005
Paez-Blarrina et
al., 2008
Low et al.,
2008
Masuda et
al., in press
Logan et al.,
1995
Feldner et al., 2003
Crocker et al., 2008
Michael &
Burns, 2004
Hayes et al., 1999
Harris et al., 2005
Haythornthwaite et
al., 2001
Fein et al., 1997
Keogh et al., 2005;
2006
Paez-Blarrina et al.,
2007
Masedo & Esteve,
2007
Spencer et al.,
2001
Roche et al.,
2007
Vowles et al.,
2007
Takahashi et al., 2002
Forman et al., 2007
Kehoe et al., 2007
As an Example, a Partial List:
Impact of ACT Mindfulness Components on
Persistence and Willingness: Active Comparisons
Study
Process Targeted
Eifert & Heffner, 2003
Acceptance
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Levitt et al., 2004
Acceptance
Suppression
Roche et al., 2007
Acceptance
Perseverance
Vowles et al., 2007
Acceptance
Control Training
Marcks & Woods, 2007
Defusion
Suppression
Cioffi & Holloway, 1993
Present Moment
Kingston et al., 2007
Present Moment
Distraction &
Suppression
Guided Imagery
Hayes et al., 1999
Mindfulness
Components
Mindfulness
Components
Mindfulness
Components
Mindfulness
Components
Keogh et al., 2005
Keogh et al., 2006
Masedo & Esteve, 2007
Hedges's g and 95% CI
Comparison
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
-2.0
-1.0
0.0
1.0
2.0
CBT for pain
Distraction and Control
Distraction and Control
Suppression
Favors Control
Favors ACT
Impact on Persistence, Willingness, and Distress
Hedges's g and 95% CI
Persistence and Willingness
g = .40
Active Comparison (n=692)
g = .82
Inactive Comparison (n=440)
Distress During Task
g = .09
Active Comparison (n=693)
g = .23
Inactive Comparison (n=564)
Distress While Recovering From Task
g = .38
Active Comparison (n=423)
g = .31
Inactive Comparison (n=145)
Persistence and Willingness
g = 1.96
Full package (n=72)
Rationale plus metaphor or exercise but not both (n=854)
g = .69
Rationale alone (n=173)
g = .03
-1.0
-.5
Favors Control
0.0
.5
Favors ACT
1.0
Pain Tolerance
Acceptance
and Defusion
McMullen et al., 2008
Instructions,
Metaphor, Exercise
Instructions
Only
Instructions,
Metaphor, Exercise
Distraction
Instructions
Only
No Instructions
2
4
6
8
Shocks to Continue Task
10
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Philosophy
Basic account
Clinical model
Components
Processes
Processes: Diagnosis, Mediation,
and Moderation
• Develop process measures (experiential
avoidance, psychological flexibility, values,
defusion)
• Many specific versions now (in pain, weight,
stigmas, diabetes, epilepsy, smoking, trauma,
tinnitus, psychosis, etc)
• Looking at them correlationally, in case
conceptualization and functional dimensional
diagnosis, mediation, and moderation
Correlational Studies
• Well over 10,000 participants in nearly 50
studies show that ACT processes can
account for a substantial portion (around
16-25%) of almost anything you can name
• ACT processes mediate many forms of
coping and psychological adjustment
including some very important ones such as
cognitive reappraisal
Treatment Mediation
the c’ path
Preferably M before Y;
better: before Y changes
Mediator
M
the b path
the a path
(controlling for X)
Treatment
X
Outcomes
the c path
Y
Meta-Analysis of ACT Mediation
• 23 of the first 31 ACT RCTs used measures
of ACT processes as mediators and are out,
in press, or in preparation and we can get the
complete data set
• These are the first 18 studies we’ve walked
through
c’
a
b
c
Large effect size
Follow up Change Outcomes; Post Mediators
Proportion Mediated
(3 studies no follow-up; 3 no post)
Study
Problem
Comparison
Mediator
Tapper, 2009
Weight
Diet
PF/EA
Woods, 2006
Trichotillomania
Wait list
PF/EA
Gaudiano, 2009
Psychosis
Enhanced TAU
Defusion
Bond, 2000
Work stress
Wait list
PF/EA
Wicksell, 2009
Pain
MDT + medication
Defusion
Wicksell, 2008
Pain
TAU
PF/EA
Lazzaroni, 2009
Work stress
Wait list
PF/EA
Zettle, 1986
Depression
CT
Defusion
Hayes, 2004
Stigma
Psychoeducation
Defusion
Lappalainen, 2007
Outpatient misc
CBT
PF/EA
Lillis, 2009
Weight
Wait list
PF/EA
Lillis, 2007
Ethnic prejudice
Education
PF/EA
Gifford, under review
Smoking
Medications
PF/EA
Lundgren, 2008
Epilepsy
Supportive treatment
PF/EA
Gregg, 2007
Diabetes
Education
PF/EA/Self-Manage
Varra, 2008
Resistance to ESTs
Psychoeducation
PF/EA/Defusion
Zettle, in press
Depression
CT
Defusion
Gratz, 2006
BPD
TAU
PF/EA
Average Proportion Mediated:
.53 (unweighted by n); .47 (weighted); Total n = 903
0
.25
.50
.75
Testing with
bootstrapped
cross product:
All below p = .1
All but 3, p < .05
1.0
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Philosophy
Basic account
Clinical model
Components
Processes
Breadth
Why Breadth?
• Breadth and the claims of the model
• Controlled studies in depression, stress, adjustment to
psychosis, anxiety, chronic pain, burnout, trichotillomania,
substance abuse, developmentally disabled/dually diagnosed,
OCD, epilepsy, diabetes, weight control and maintenance,
tinnitus, GAD, marijuana addiction, prejudice, learning, dealing
with cancer, smoking, borderline personality disorder, fitness,
prevention of depression and anxiety problems, adjusting to
detoxification, skin picking, pornography addiction, self-stigma
and shame in addiction, trauma, intercultural adjustment, body
image concerns, adolescent depression, work effectiveness,
adjusting to cancer, playing world class chess
Pediatric Chronic Pain
Wicksell, Melin, Lekander, & Olsson, Pain, 2009
• 32 patients w/ longstanding pediatric pain
• 25 female; ~ 15 y o, 32 mo pain duration
• Randomly assigned to ACT or
multidiscipinary Rx & medication (MDT).
2 drop outs.
• Pre / post / 3.5mo f-up / 6.5 mo f-up
• ACT = 12 session; MDT = 23
Pain Interference
6
4
2
Pre
Post
3.5 mo
6.5 mo
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Philosophy
Basic account
Clinical model
Components
Processes
Breadth
Dissemination and training
Dissemination and Training
• Include from the very beginning. Why?
– Pragmatic view of truth
– Contextual view of behavior
• One of the things this does is to put the real
world issues of end users and practitioners
into a central role early, rather than as an
afterthought
Dissemination and Training
• Three effectiveness trials including the first
ACT study in the modern era
• Three trials on the use of ACT to train other
things
• One on how to train ACT
• You can also include here trials on broadly
disseminable methods such as books, tapes,
or websites
Impact of an ACT
Book on Depression
•Sub-analysis of 46 depressed teachers
in a wellness program
•8 weeks to read the book
•4 month follow up
•Then the wait list reads the book.
•DASS-D cutoff: 20 or higher (clinical
cut off and gives us an average like in
patient population)
•Goal: 13 or lower (cutoff and the
expected response to hospitalization)
Average for
Hospitalized
Depressed
Patients
45
Book
Analysis of 0,2,6 month
data: p eta sq = .25 (large
effect size)
40
35
30
25
Teacher
Sample
20
15
10
How about
clinical
significance?
5
0
45
0
Book
2
6
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
O
0
22
6
Months
6
8
8
% who get
across that
green line
Depressed Teacher Subsample
Percentage Clinically Improved
60%
56.5%
50%
40%
30%
20%
Book
10%
0%
0
2
6
8
Depressed Teacher Subsample
The Eight-Fold Path of
Contextual Behavioral Science
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Philosophy
Basic account
Clinical model
Components
Processes
Breadth
Dissemination and training
Community
Empower a Community Based on the
Same ACT Model
• Create an open, diverse non-hierarchical
community that invites the contributions of
new participants and focus on good for others.
• Why? Well, the model applies to us.
• Truth is contextual
• And inductive traditions need a community
• Our community has interesting qualities
What Has Happened
• It’s a joyful virus as this meeting shows
• Nearly 2400 dues paying members in
ACBS: www.contextualpsychology.org
• And additional thousands in various
national chapters or list serves
• Over 40 books in nine languages
The Bold Vision of CBS
• Our mission is bold: a comprehensive
psychological science more adequate to the
challenges of the human condition
• This means that we can be no stronger as a
whole in psychology than our weakest link
• Weakness in the area of cognition was the
source both of CBT and of the narrowing of
BA – is also our starting point but our response
is different
The CBS Approach
• Take responsibility as a community for the
usefulness of basic science
• That means applied psychology needs to prime
and support the basic work needed
• What the CBS strategy does is to link mutually
application and the basic analysis – as part of
a comprehensive basic contextual behavior
analysis
What Applied Psychology Needs
• What applied psychology never specifies is
what it is to do when it is wrong
• It is important because all theories and models
in science are wrong.
• The CBS idea is both to get there more quickly
and to continuously build a more pragmatically
adequate knowledge base through an iterative
communitarian development process
The Importance of RFT to ACT:
Failures
• When we will hit bumps – this is already
happening – what will we do?
• E.g., how do we reach those who are not
distressed? The avoidant / non-distressed subgroup is a massive challenge and early
indications are that our current approach my
need some modification for this sub-group
Failures
• When that happens we will need to look
closely: is it applied theory or applied
technology that is at fault
• Then we will come up with new ideas
• RFT is part of the seed corn of those new ideas
• If it is not adequately so, then RFT and
behavioral principles themselves need
development
• Iterative -- reticulated
The Importance of RFT to ACT:
Development
• Often we are not dealing with failures but with
opportunities for further development
• We need to develop our theories and methods
• To do that we need to deepen our
understanding of the phenomena we are
targeting
The Importance of RFT to ACT:
Development
• For example, how does fusion work;
• how does thought suppression work;
• why is experiential avoidance troublesome;
what are values;
• and so on
The Importance of RFT to ACT:
Assessment
• We also need to create more sophisticated
approaches to measurement
• How do we measure experiential avoidance?
• Fusion?
• Values?
The Importance of RFT to Other
Applied Areas
• If we seek a comprehensive account, what
about such human challenges as education,
organizational effectiveness, quality of life,
relationships, childrearing, and the like.
• These areas may touch an ACT / 3rd generation
model but they may well take us beyond it
• Where will we get our basic ideas for such
interventions?
The Importance of RFT to
Basic Psychology: Forming A
Comprehensive Account
• We need ideas from all of basic psychology,
but RFT and behavioral principles are not just
one of many
• We are part of an inductive tradition that seeks
a coherent, comprehensive account. Thus, by
design, RFT is in a way “more basic” than
much of what you think of as basic psychology
The Importance of RFT to
Basic Psychology
• If there is any topic in basic behavioral science
that cannot yield to basic behavioral principles
plus RFT, then these ideas need to be changed
• Oh my. Surely you are not saying that RFT
plus behavioral principles give a fully adequate
comprehensive account? What about selfefficacy, self-esteem, cognitive styles, or any
of a 1000 such basic areas?
From Pigeons to Walden II
• If any of these are worthwhile they all need to
be sensible objects of development within
BP?RFT
• I am not saying they ARE, I’m saying that is
the goal and something needs to change if they
ARE NOT
• And it is not enough to do interpretation, and
stop there – this is an experimental issue
Skinner (1938)
• It is no accident that what I have just said is very
similar to the traditional behavior analytic position
• “The reader will have noticed that almost no
extension to human behavior is made or suggested.
This does not mean that he is expected to be
interested in the behavior of the rat for its own sake.
The importance of a science of behavior derives
largely from the possibility of an eventual extension
to human affairs. . . .Whether or not extrapolation is
justified cannot at the present time be decided.”
Skinner (1938)
• “It is possible that there are properties of human
behavior which will require a different kind of
treatment. . . . I may say that the only differences I
expect to see revealed between the behavior of a rat
and man (aside from enormous differences of
complexity) lie in the field of verbal behavior.” (pp.
441-442)
Hayes (Today)
• It is possible that there are properties of human
behavior which will require a different kind of
treatment that that provided by basic behavioral
principles and RFT. I may say that I expect them,
because all theories are ultimately shown to be wrong,
but we will only know what they are by continuing to
build and extend our contextual behavioral tradition.
When such weaknesses are detected it will be our
responsibility as a community to solve them, and to
attempt to do so within that tradition.
To Summarize:
Why RFT (+BP) is Important
• To provide a source of new but coherent ideas
when existing applications fail
• To suggest ways to develop application and
assessment in various domains
• To provide a coherent, comprehensive account
of human complexity
• That is what we mean when we state the
purpose of CBS
The Purpose of CBS
• To create a psychology more worthy of the
challenge of the human condition
• We seek the prediction-and-influence, with
precision, scope, and depth of whole organisms
interacting in and with a context considered
historically and situationally
Examples
• Implicit cognition
• Providing an understanding of ACT processes
• Deictic frames and sense of self
Examples
•
•
•
•
•
Implicit cognition
What was present when RFT arrived: IAT et al
Done in the language of association
Used list by list presentation
IRAP far more precise
THE IRAP
Consistent Tasks
•
Fat
Thin
Lazy
Similar
Lazy
Opposite
D
Similar
K
Opposite
D
K
Inconsistent Tasks
Similar
D
Fat
Thin
Lazy
Lazy
Opposite
K
Similar
D
Opposite
K
IAT versus IRAP
Sarah Roddy, Ian Stewart & Dermot Barnes-Holmes
• 64 undergraduates
• Weight related bias explores with both IAT and
IRAP
THE IRAP
Pro-Slim Bias
•
GOOD
BAD
{picture of thin person]
Similar
{picture of thin person]
Opposite
D
Similar
K
Opposite
D
K
Anti-Fat Bias
GOOD
BAD
{picture of fat person]
Similar
D
{picture of fat person]
Opposite
K
Similar
D
Opposite
K
Behavioral Intentions (R2 change)
After Explicit
Anti-Fat Attitudes
After Feelings
toward Fat People
.1
IAT
.05
.05
IAT
IRAP
IRAP
.1
Sexual Offenders
Dawson, Barnes-Holmes, Gresswell, Hart, & Gore, in press
• Test group of offenders and non-offenders
• Compare IRAP to self report
• Use sexual or non-sexual terms; with adults and
children
• No difference in adult or child non-sexual or adult
sexual trials but …
When Presented with Trials Like This
NonOffender
Child
.5
Arousing
True
Offender
False
Expectations of the Future in
Depression
Liv Kosness, Louise A. McHugh, Jo Saunders & Robert Whelan
• Study on autobiographical memory and future
expectations of depressed and non-depressed
individuals
Mean D-IRAP Score ms
Within Group Significance
for Low BDI group
p=.004
No Within Group Significance
for High BDI Group
p=.514
Between Group Significance for
Relations with Positive
Future Expectancies
p=.026
0.33
0.28
No Between Group Significance
For Relations with Negative
Future Expectancies
p=.230
0.23
0.18
0.13
0.08
0.03
-0.02
-0.07
-0.12
High BDI
Low BDI
PosD
-0.023
0.3
NegD
-0.116
0.041
Motivating Physical Exercise
Jackson et al., in preparation
• 46 female students in a spinning class
• Assessed via IRAP for their fitness motivation
• During class instructor periodically prompted
reading a message they’d been given
• Students randomly given either form-based
prompts or a reminder of their positive fitness
purposes filtered by an IRAP
• In another part of the study, randomly given
high or low purposes as identified by the IRAP
Percentage of
Instructor’s Heart Rate
Bsln
Prompts
Bsln
105
105
95
95
85
85
1
3
5
7
9
105
Baseline
Positive Goals
Forms 105
95
95
85
85
1
3
5
7
9
Prompts
1
3
5
7
9
1
3
5
7
9
Exercise Sessions
Average Difference from Baseline
Green = Positive Implicit Goals
Blue = Instruction About Form
Average Difference from Baseline
DIFFERENCE IN % OF INSTRUCTORS AVERAGE
HEART RATE
10
8
Green = Non-Preferred
“Positive” Implicit Goals
6
4
2
18
0
17
18
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
Blue = Instruction About Form
Another Example
• Help us understand clinical processes
Thought Suppression and
Derived Relations
Hooper, Saunders & McHugh
• Taught 3 classes an A  B  C format
• e.g.,
bear  boceem  geeder
door  murben  remond
• Have the person suppress “bear” or not
• Measure self-reported frequency of “bear” during
suppression
• The difference is during rebound
During Rebound
(Continuing Instruction) Period
• Target, related but never directly paired (C),
unrelated or novel words presented for 10 sec
• Can remove them with the space bar “if you are
not happy with a word being on the screen”
• Those not in the suppression group asked to
remove the word “bear” if it appears
Probability of Avoidance
Don’t Think “Bear”
100%
Remove “Bear”
UNRELATED
GEEDER (C)
50%
BEAR
UNRELATED
BEAR
50%
GEEDER (C)
100%
Results
Lapsed Time
12000
M
i
10000
l
l
i 8000
s 6000
e
c 4000
o
n
2000
d
s
0
Experimenta
l Group
Control
Group
Target
Trained
Derived
Word Types
All other words
Derived Avoidance
Roche, Kantor, Brown, Dymond, & Fogarty, 2008
Pretrain
And then Train
C1
Same
Opposite
C2
A1
B1
Same
Opposite
B2
Sample of Derived Relations
Opposite
C1
Same
Opposite
C2
A1
Same
C2
Same
Opposite
Same
Opposite
B2
Train Avoidance Functions to B;
Test with C
?
C1
?
Opposite
Same
Opposite
C2
A1
Same
C2
Same
Opposite
Same
B2
Opposite
Disgusting
Pretty
Pictures
Pictures
Probability of Derived
Avoidance
C1
100% Derived
Negative
50%
C2
Derived
Positive
Modeling Defusion
Roche, Melia, Kantor, Blackledge, & Dymond, under review
• Randomize to defusion or not for A1 and A2
• Read 50 positive and 50 negative statements
for both A1 and A2
• Train two networks: A1  B1  C1
A2  B2  C2
• Then A1  disgusting pictures
• A2  pleasant pictures
• Test avoidance of A1, A2, C1, C2
Probability of Trained Avoidance
Defusion
100%
50%
No Defusion
Probability of Derived Avoidance
Defusion
100%
50%
No Defusion
RFT Take on the Formation of
Self and Perspective Taking
YOU
HERE
NOW
I
THEN
THERE
The I-Here-Nowness of Awareness
is the Foundation of Perspective Taking
Self-as-context
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Number of conference
proceedings and publications
per year
18
16
14
Number of conference procedings
and publications per year and per
type
12
10
Theoretical
8
6
4
2
0
Empirical
35%
30%
Theoretically and empirically
29%
targeted problems
25%
20%
15% 13%
10%
5%
0%
13% 13%
13%
10%
10%
10%
6%
3%
3% 3%
“From Hereness” is Relational
• It says something very profound: I don’t get to
show up as a conscious human being until you
show up as a conscious human being
• One of the way we measure perspective taking
are “Theory of Mind” assessments
• Are deictic relations and Theory of Mind
performances related?
Percent Correct
At Least Broadly, They Are
105
95
85
75
65
55
45
35
25
15
Deictic
ToM
Pre
Single
Reversals
Double
Reversals
Phases
For general direction of the relationship only. These data are from 2 unpublished studies, one by another author, so details could
change
Figure 6. Within subject analysis for Abu. Multiple baseline across levels of Complexity
includes data series for each deictic relational frame. The lower panel represents Theory
of Mind probe percentages.
Why This Matters
• A perspective taking sense of self is social
• Which is why your pain can pain me
• I need to accept my own pain in order to care
about yours in a healthy way
• Gives a personal motivation beyond values and
evolution for empathy and caring for others
Does It Relate to Caring About Others?
Deictic Relations, Empathy, and
Social Anhedonia
• 103 Spanish college students
• Deictic Framing assessment task
• Measures of Empathy, Acceptance, and Social
Anhedonia
Correlates with Social Anhedonia
• Higher self-acceptance / less experiential
avoidance (AAQ) predicts less social
anhedonia, r = .40**
Predicting Social Anhedonia with
Empathy and Deictic Relations
Step Predictor R2 Chg
Step Predictor R2 Chg
1
Empathy
.04*
1
Deictic
relations
2
Deictic
relations
.05*
2
Empathy
.07*
.03ns
Perspective Taking
• Higher xxx
Why is ACT important to RFT
• RFT makes most sense as part of a
comprehensive effort
• Having an active, vital, successful applied
wing gives RFT researchers a boost in
interest and access to support that can only
grow
• Many of the best questions are at the appliedbasic interface
Now that RFT is Growing
Can the Clinicians
Turn it over to Basic Folks
• I do not think so
• We are stronger together
• But this will be a challenge
The Way of the Turtle
• The CBS strategy is slow
• Bu it becomes faster when there are many
hands
• As we confront the edges of what we know
we will ask …
With a Contextual Behavioral Science
Approach
• Do we have adequate basic
principles that fit with our
goals and assumptions?
• Do the processes move?
• Did the process relate to the outcome?
• How can we do it better or reformulate it?
• How can we give it away?
• And can we do this honestly enough that …
the One
Or the Few
Will Become the Many
That Are Needed to Create Progress in
the Interests of Those We Serve?
If there are turtles out there ... join us
and see you in Reno!
These slides will be on my blog at www.contextualpsychology.org