An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory

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I pride myself on having authored a few printed introductions to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) that have been widely read and much appreciated, but when students and professionals ask me which RFT introduction I recommend most, I always recommend FoxyLearning’s An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory. It is simply the most accessible, engaging, comprehensive, and accurate introduction to RFT I’ve seen.

—Dr. J.T. Blackledge, Morehead State University (Morehead, KY)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory is an excellent resource. I am glad I completed this tutorial before reading the key texts (RFT and ACT). I feel I will get more out of my readings because of this.

—Michael Bordieri, Graduate Student (Carbondale, IL)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was overall brilliant. It helped me get an idea of the theory and the modularity will allow me to return and review areas later.

—Donal Shea, Speech and Language Therapist (Dublin, Ireland)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory is beautifully designed and 100% user friendly and makes learning about RFT and contextualism a real pleasure for students. I’ve been using it to teach and assess my Psychology of Learning classes for the last number of years. It’s always a hit with students and I consistently find that they show much more appreciation for and understanding of RFT and contextualism after they’ve done it! It’s a fantastic resource and I’m jealous that I didn’t come up with it first.

—Dr. Ian Stewart, National University of Ireland, Galway

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory (RFT) has completely changed the level of interest in this topic area in my lab. The program provides an interactive and accessible method of learning about a theoretically difficult topic area. My students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level have found it an invaluable resource when beginning research in the area of RFT. And what is particularly nice about this training tool is the fact that it employs RFT principles (e.g., multiple exemplar training) to teach RFT! It’s a must for RFT beginners.

—Dr. Louise McHugh, Swansea University (Swansea, UK)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory broke complex and interrelated concepts into individual parts. These parts were easy to grasp individually, and formed building blocks for understanding the theory in total.

—Melissa Duplantis, Graduate Student (Chicago, IL)

RFT is very complex but An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory made the concepts very easy to grasp. I like that there were many examples and I also enjoyed the comic relief.

—Dana Figlock, Graduate Student (Iowa City, IA)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory is a brilliant tutorial, which will do a much better job of teaching RFT than I ever have.

—Dr. Dermot Barnes-Holmes, Co-author of Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition (Maynooth, Ireland)

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory is the original and still the best online introduction to RFT. Fun, accurate, and carefully structured, it makes everything you then read far more meaningful. Worth every penny if you want to get a jump start on understanding RFT.

—Dr. Steven C. Hayes, Co-author of Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition (Reno, NV)

Really well done. Build some more. Well designed tutorials such as this are a far better CEU option than workshops.

—Christopher McDonough (New York, NY)

I really enjoyed the fact that An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was interactive and it provided applications of the concepts. I learned a lot more from this tutorial because of the practice quizzes that APPLIED the concepts learned to actual examples. It was also quite humorous and very entertaining. I really enjoyed this tutorial and will definitely be visiting FoxyLearning again in the future!

—Melissa Tzotzis (Ontario, Canada)

The entire presentation (of An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory) was excellent! I look forward to more tutorials from Eric Fox! I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of teaching and humor.

—A Satisfied Customer

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was never dull; there were unexpected jokes, comments, examples, etc. every few slides which kept me engaged and, at times, laughing out loud.

—Lila Salas (Cambridge, MA)

I liked that An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory had a good sense of humor! It was well organized and clearly presented. I liked that you can work at the tutorial at your own pace.

—Jason Chipman (Spearfish, SD)

What did I like most about An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory? Everything.

—A Satisfied Customer

The material in An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was presented in great detail with numerous clear examples. The comic relief was an excellent way to keep you focused on the material. Very informative and enjoyable way of learning about RFT!

—Milena Kako (Canada)

I think An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory is one of the most clear and accessible explanations of RFT out there. Good Job!

—A Satisfied Customer

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was very concrete, direct, and easy to understand. I also loved how the tutorial broke the material down to basic elements, then assembled them back into a whole. Overall, I loved it.

—Seaghan Coleman (Buffalo, NY)

I loved all of the examples in An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory which helped me to get a clear understanding of the material. I also enjoyed the humor that was ever so carefully placed throughout the tutorial. This tutorial was great and I would like to take more like it in the future as I continue to build my knowledge base. Awesome job!

—Tyesha M. Davis (United States)

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$9.00

Written and developed by Eric J. Fox, Ph.D.

Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is a pragmatic, contextualistic approach to studying human language and cognition based on the principles of behavior analysis. Its most prominent application is Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), but many other applications and implications are emerging. This tutorial provides an interactive, multimedia overview of RFT, emphasizing its core concepts. Although applications of the theory are covered briefly, the tutorial is not focused specifically on teaching ACT or other clinical skills. The tutorial includes full audio narration throughout, extensive graphics and diagrams to illustrate the concepts, and unlimited quiz attempts. Both annualAnnual subscriptions do not renew automatically and lifetime”Lifetime” in this context refers to the life of FoxyLearning. While we hope that the company lives longer than you (no offense), thus giving you access throughout your lifetime, we cannot guarantee this. If the company ceases operation for any reason, we will make every attempt to continue providing access to lifetime subscribers (e.g., via hosting by a non-profit organization). subscriptions are available.

Click on a topic below to learn more.

Author

An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory was written and developed by Dr. Eric J. Fox, the owner of FoxyLearning. Doc Fox was a contributing author to the first book-length treatment of Relational Frame Theory (RFT), founded and developed the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science website (and the RFT and ACT websites that preceded it), and has presented and published on RFT numerous times. With a Ph.D. in Learning & Instructional Technology from Arizona State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in psychology from the University of Nevada, Doc Fox has served as a faculty member in the psychology department at Western Michigan University and as Dean of Instruction at Saybrook University. He currently lives in San Francisco (in a very tiny and very overpriced apartment) with his lovely wife Stephanie.

Overview and Learning Objectives

The tutorial is an interactive, self-paced adventure through the basic concepts of RFT. It was written and designed for a very broad audience, and it is hoped that everyone from undergraduate psychology students to doctoral-level psychologists to any educated person on the street (or on the web!) will find the material accessible, engaging, and relevant. The tutorial’s learning objectives are focused on helping the learner be able to define and identify examples of the following concepts:

Symbolism (of language)
Generativity (of language)
Functional Contextualism
Derived Stimulus Relations
Relational Frame
Relational Responding
Generalized Operants
Multiple Exemplar Training
Mutual Entailment
Combinatorial Entailment
Transformation of Stimulus Functions
Contextual Cues (C_rel and C_func)

Features

This tutorial has many pleasing features, including:

Full audio narration throughout (with learner control over volume, replaying, and the showing of corresponding text)
Extensive use of graphics, animations, and interactions to illustrate complex concepts and processes
Self-paced, so every learner can take as long as he or she needs to learn the material
Ability to save progress at any point during the tutorial (and return to that point later, so program does not need to be completed in one sitting)
Progress in lesson and tutorial clearly indicated by progress bar, screen numbers, and lesson numbers
Instructors can easily make the tutorial an assignment or extra-credit project for their course, training program, or workshop, and then track the progress and performance of their students
A comprehensive quiz is offered, and learners can take it an unlimited number of times (instructors can see each student’s first quiz score, highest quiz score, and number of quiz attempts)

Prerequisite Knowledge Required

Since the tutorial was designed for a broad audience, very little prerequisite knowledge is expected or required. Familiarity with basic principles of learning and conditioning probably helps the most, though these are also addressed at a very general level in the tutorial.

Length

The tutorial consists of 15 lessons and a total of 610 screens of instructional excitement. The length of time it takes people to complete the tutorial varies widely (some users report about 2 hours, others report much longer), but many experts in the elearning industry estimate that one should expect to spend about 1 minute per screen. Research on early version of this tutorial’s format, though, indicated that 30 seconds per screen is more accurate (but still with a great deal of variability!). Although the tutorial is long, it does not need to be completed in one sitting; users can save their progress at any time and return to where they left off later.

Technical Requirements

The tutorial requires only an active internet connection (you must be connected to the internet throughout the program so that your progress can be saved), a web browser, and the Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or later). You probably already have the Flash Player installed, but if you don’t it can be downloaded for free. You can also use our custom Browser Check to see if your browser meets our minimum requirements.

History

This tutorial was initially developed as part of the author’s dissertation research at Arizona State University. The topic was selected to introduce the complex concepts of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) to a broad audience. An early version was introduced in 2003, with a second version following in Summer 2005, and was awarded the Nova Southeastern Award for Outstanding Practice by a Graduate Student in Instructional Design from the Design & Development division of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology. With an award name that long, you know it’s got to be good. The current version was launched on FoxyLearning in January 2010 (see changes).

Changelog

This section lists any and all changes and improvements made to this tutorial over time. Users who have purchased a subscription to the tutorial will always have access to the most current version.

February 19, 2010

Fixed a typo in which “research” was spelled “reserch” on the tutorial’s concept diagram. How embarrassing. Thanks to Scott Lawley for reporting this foxy error!

February 16, 2010

Fixed a bug in which users who had completed the tutorial did not have their progress status changed to “completed.” Thanks to Steve Hayes and his students for reporting this foxy bug!

January 1, 2010

FoxyLearning Launch: Changes from the Free Version

This tutorial started as a free project hosted first on RelationalFrameTheory.com and later on ContextualPsychology.org and EricFox.com. In addition to minor edits and corrections to the content, the tutorial has been changed and improved in the following significant ways:

Full audio narration added throughout the tutorial (with user control over volume, replaying, and the showing of corresponding text)
Ability to save progress at any point in the tutorial (instead of just at the beginning or end of a lesson)
Faster and more streamlined animations and greater user control over when animations play
More student performance data available to instructors (including overall practice question accuracy, last lesson completed, first quiz score, highest quiz score, number of quiz attempts, and date of last access)
Progress in lesson and tutorial now clearly indicated by progress bar, screen numbers, and lesson numbers
Full-screen viewing now available (and can be toggled on and off by the user)

Below you will find screenshots of this tutorial from several different lessons. Click on a thumbnail to view the full-size image.

Relational Frame Theory Books

The books below all focus extensively on RFT. The first is the main RFT book, providing a detailed overview of the theory, its empirical support, and applications. The second explores the implications of RFT for autism and related disorders, while the third focuses on the application of RFT and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) to organizational issues and the workplace. Click on a book to learn more about it or to order it from Amazon.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Books

The books in the box below all focus on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the most prominent application of RFT. Some of them also provide an overview or explanation of RFT, but it is not their primary focus. Move your cursor over a cover to see more information about that book or to buy it from Amazon.

Websites & Online Resources

ContextualPsychology.org
ContextualPsychology.org is the official website of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), and contains a wealth of information about RFT and ACT. Some sections that may be particularly helpful for learning more about RFT:

The ACT/RFT PowerPoints section includes links to many PowerPoint files on RFT from various conferences, workshops, and classrooms. To see and download the files, you’ll need to become a member of ACBS, but doing so can be quite inexpensive because they rely on values-based dues with a minimum dues payment of only $1. Some specific files I would recommend are:
- RFT: What Is It and What Are Its Implications for Clinicans?: A talk by Ian Stewart presented at the ACT Summer Institute IV in 2008
- RFT and Clinical Psychology: A talk by J.T. Blackledge presented at the ACT Summer Institute IV in 2008
- RFT Made Simple: A talk by Chad Drake, Jerold Hambright, Rainer Sonntag presented at the ACT Summer Institute IV in 2008
- Demystifying RFT: A talk by Patty Bach and D.J. Moran presented at the ACT Oceania II conference in 2008
- Introduction to RFT: A talk by Patty Bach and D.J. Moran presented at the ACT Oceania II conference in 2008

The RFT Research section contains information and resources about (you guessed it) RFT research. Of particular note is the Empirical Support page, which is a continually updated list of research studies supporting RFT.

The Publications section contains dozens of articles, book chapters, and other publications related to RFT and ACT. Members of ACBS can download many of the publications for free.

Miscellaneous Items of Import and Interest

IronShrink.com: What is Relational Frame Theory? (excellent overview of RFT, complete with supportive graphics and helpful examples, from the Iron Shrink…who may or may not be related to the Iron Sheik)
RFT Simplified by Russ Harris from The Happiness Trap
RFT: A Pragmatic Approach to Understanding and Treating Human Suffering (presentation materials from a day-long RFT workshop by Eric Fox)
An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory: Basics and Applications by J.T. Blackledge
Relational Frame Theory on Wikipedia
Functional Contextualism on Wikipedia
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy on Wikipedia

Mailing Lists

An electronic mailing list (often called a “listserv”) and Yahoo! Group has been established for RFT. The list/group serves as a forum for scientists and practitioners to discuss current conceptual, scientific, and practice developments in RFT and ACT. It is restricted to professionals or graduate students in relevant fields. Paid membership (at any level) in the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) is now required to join the RFT Listserv. Your membership will be verified when you apply to the listserv. Click on the button below to learn more or join!

Click to join RFT

There are also several mailing lists devoted to Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). The ACBS website contains a complete list.

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Annual Subscription		Lifetime Subscription
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♦ Ability to “connectWhen you connect to a course, you allow the instructor of that course to see your progress and performance on the tutorial” your tutorial performance to a course		♦ Ability to “connectWhen you connect to a course, you allow the instructor of that course to see your progress and performance on the tutorial” your tutorial performance to a course
♦ Perfect for students completing the tutorial for a course		♦ Perfect for anyone who wants to use the tutorial as a lifelong resource
♦ No CEUsContinuing Education Units		♦ Perfect for anyone who wants to earn BACBBehavior Analyst Certification Board CEUsContinuing Education Units to maintain certification as a BCBABoard Certified Behavior Analyst or BCaBABoard Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst
		♦ Earn 6 Type 2 BACBBehavior Analyst Certification Board CEUsContinuing Education Units
		♦ Immediate download of CEU completion certificate

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