An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory

This tutorial is of an intermediate level of difficulty, but was written and designed for a broad audience. It is hoped that anyone from undergraduate students in psychology and related disciplines to doctoral-level psychologists and scholars will find the material accessible, engaging, and relevant.

Upon completing the tutorial, the learner should be able to:

1. Identify two of the distinguishing characteristics of human language and how they are accounted for by Relational Frame Theory (RFT)
2. Identify definitions and examples of key theoretical concepts in RFT (including derived stimulus relation, functional contextual theory, relational responding, generalized operant, multiple exemplar training, mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment, transformation of stimulus functions, and contextual cues)
3. Specify the process by which relational responding leads to derived stimulus relations
4. Analyze samples of natural language using the terms and concepts of RFT

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, 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.

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.

The content of this tutorial should be considered quite accurate, as it was written by an expert in the field and reviewed for accuracy by Dr. Steven C. Hayes, who led the development of RFT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dr. Dermot Barnes-Holmes, who is one of the most prolific RFT researchers and scholars in the world. This tutorial should benefit any psychologist, behavior analyst, student, or behavioral science professional who would like to have a conceptual framework for analyzing human language and cognition that is more functional and pragmatic than the structural analyses of traditional linguistics or cognitive psychology. It will be particularly beneficial to those wishing to understand the theoretical basis of ACT or those working to establish verbal repertoires with children or adults who have language delays. This tutorial will not provide you with training in specific interventions or methods based on RFT, but it will provide you with a conceptual understanding of the theoretical basis of such interventions and methods. There is little to no risk associated with completing this tutorial, aside from the physical risks associated with any computer work (e.g., repetitive stress injuries and eyestrain) and possibly severe boredom.

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.