Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Relational Frame Training Intervention to Raise Intelligence Quotients: A Pilot Study

  • Article
  • Published:
The Psychological Record Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current research consisted of 2 studies designed to test the effectiveness of automated multiple-exemplar relational training in raising children’s general intellectual skills. In Study 1, 4 participants were exposed to multiple exemplar training in stimulus equivalence and the relational frames of SAME, OPPOSITE, MORE THAN, and LESS THAN across several sessions and weeks. WISC (III-UK) measures were taken at baseline, following stimulus equivalence training, and again following relational frame training. Matched against a no-treatment control group, experimental participants showed significant improvements in full-scale IQ following stimulus equivalence training, and a further significant rise following relational frame training. Study 2 administered an improved multiple-exemplar-based relational frame training intervention to 8 children with a range of educational and behavioral difficulties. In 7 of the 8 cases, full-scale IQ as measured by the WISC (IV-UK) rose by at least 1 SD; the improvement was statistically significant at the group level. These data have important implications for the behavioral analysis of intellectual skills and suggest the basis of an intervention to improve general cognitive functioning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • BARNES, D. (1994). Stimulus equivalence and Relational Frame Theory. The Psychological Record, 44, 91–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, D., BARNES-HOLMES, Y., SMEETS, P. M., CULLINAN, V., & LEADER, G. (2004). Relational frame theory and stimulus equivalence: Conceptual and procedural issues. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 4, 181–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, D., HAYDEN, E., BARNES-HOLMES, Y., & STEWART, I. (2008). The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a response-time and event-related-potentials methodology for testing natural verbal relations. The Psychological Record, 58, 497–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, Y., BARNES-HOLMES D., & ROCHE, B. (2001). Exemplar training and a derived transformation of function in accordance with symmetry. The Psychological Record, 51, 287–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, Y., BARNES-HOLMES, D., ROCHE, B., & SMEETS, P. (2001). Exemplar training and a derived transformation of function in accordance with symmetry II. The Psychological Record, 51, 589–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, Y., BARNES-HOLMES, D., ROCHE, B., HEALY, O., LYDDY, F., CULLINAN, V., & HAYES, S. C. (2001). Psychological development. In S. C. Hayes, D. Barnes-Holmes, & B. Roche (Eds.), Relational frame theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition (pp. 157–180). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, Y., BARNES-HOLMES, D., SMEETS, P., STRAND, P., & FRIMAN, P. (2004). Establishing relational responding in accordance with more-than and less-than as generalized operant behavior in young children. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 4, 531–558.

    Google Scholar 

  • BARNES-HOLMES, Y., BARNES-HOLMES, D., & SMEETS, P. (2004). Establishing relational responding in accordance with opposite as generalized operant behavior in young children. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 4, 559–586.

    Google Scholar 

  • BERENS, N. M., & HAYES, S. C. (2007). Arbitrarily applicable comparative relations: Experimental evidence for a relational operant. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40, 45–71.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • BINDER, C. (1996). Behavioral fluency: Evolution of a new paradigm. The Behavior Analyst, 19, 163–197.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • CASSIDY, S. (2008). Relational Frame Theory and human intelligences conceptual and empirical analysis. Unpublished doctoral thesis, National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

    Google Scholar 

  • CASSIDY, S., ROCHE, B., & O’HORA, D. (2010). Relational Frame Theory and human intelligence. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 11, 37–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • CECI, S. J. (1991). How much does schooling influence general intelligence and its cognitive components? A reassessment of the evidence. Developmental Psychology, 27, 703–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • COHEN, J. (1988). Statistical power for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • COHEN J. D., MACWHINNEY B., FLATT M., & PROVOST J. (1993). PsyScope: A new graphic interactive environment for designing psychology experiments. Behavioral Research Methods, Instruments and Computers, 25, 257–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CONNOR (1998). A review of behavioural early intervention programmes for children with autism. Educational Psychology in Practice, 14, 109–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CULLINAN, V., BARNES-HOLMES, D., & SMEETS, P. M. (2001). A precursor to the relational evaluation procedure: The search for the contextual cues that control equivalence responding. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 76, 339–349.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • DEARY, I. J., STRAND, S., SMITH, P., & FERNANDES, C. (2007). Intelligence and educational achievement. Intelligence, 35, 13–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FIELDS, L., ADAMS, B. J., VERHAVE, T., & NEWMAN, S. (1990). The effects of nodality on the formation of equivalence classes. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 53, 345–358.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • FLYNN, J. R. (1998). WAIS III and WISC III IQ gains in the United States from 1972–1995: How to compensate for obsolete norms. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 86, 1231–1239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GARDNER, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • GOMEZ, S., LOPEZ, F., MARTIN, C. B., BARNES-HOLMES, Y., & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2007). Exemplar training and a derived transformation of function in accordance with symmetry and equivalence. The Psychological Record, 57, 273–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GRESHAM, F. M., & MACMILLAN, D. L. (1997). Autistic recovery? An analysis and critique of the empirical evidence on the Early Intervention Project. Behavioral Disorders, 22, 185–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., BARNES-HOLMES, D., & ROCHE, B. (2001). Relational Frame Theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • HAYES, S. C., GIFFORD, E. V., TOWNSEND, R. C., Jr., & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2001). Thinking, problem-solving, and pragmatic verbal analysis. In S. C. Hayes, D. Barnes-Holmes, & B. Roche (Eds.), Relational Frame Theory: A post-Skinnerian account of human language and cognition (pp. 87–101). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • JAEGGI, S. M., BUSCHKUEHL, M., JONIDES, J., & PERRIG, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 105, 6829–6833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LOVAAS, O. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, 55, 3–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MAGIATI, I. & HOWLIN, P. A. (2001). Monitoring the progress of preschool children with autism enrolled in early intervention programmes: Problems in cognitive assessment. Autism, 5, 399–406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MOFFITT, T. E., CASPI, A., HARKNESS, R., & SILVA, P. A. (1993). The natural history of change in intellectual performance: Who changes? How much? Is it meaningful? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 455–506.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’HORA, D., PELAEZ, M., & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2005). Derived relational responding and performance on verbal sub-tests of the WAIS-III. The Psychological Record, 55, 155–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’HORA, D., PELAEZ, M., BARNES-HOLMES, D., RAE, G., ROBINSON, K., & CHAUDHARY, T. (2008). Temporal relations and intelligence: Correlating relational performance with performance on the WAIS-III. The Psychological Record, 58, 569–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’KEEFE, D. J. (2003). Against familywise alpha adjustment. Human Communication Research, 29, 431–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’TOOLE, C., & BARNES-HOLMES, D. (2009). Three Chronometrie indices ol relational responding as predictors of performance on a brief intelligence test: The importance of relational flexibility. The Psychological Record, 59, 119–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’TOOLE, C., BARNES-HOLMES, D., MURPHY, C., O’CONNOR, J., & BARNES-HOLMES, Y. (2009). Relational flexibility and human intelligence: Extending the remit of Skinner’s Verbal Behavior. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 9, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • RAUDENBUSH, S., & BRYK, A. (2001). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • REED, P., OSBORNE, L., & CORNESS, M., (2005). The effectiveness of early intervention programmes for autistic spectrum disorders. Unpublished report.

    Google Scholar 

  • REHFELDT, R. A., & BARNES-HOLMES, Y. (Eds.) (2009). Derived relational responding: Applications for learners with autism and other developmental disabilities. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • ROSENTHAL, R., & ROSNOW, R. L. (1991). Essentials of behavioral research: Methods and data analysis (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • SALLOWS, G. O., & GRAUPNER, T. D. (2005). Intensive behavioural treatment for children with autism. American Journal on Mental Retardation 110, 417–438.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SCHLINGER, H. D. (2003). The myth of intelligence. The Psychological Record, 53, 15–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • SCHMIDT, F. L., & HUNTER, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 262–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SIDMAN, M. (1971). Reading and auditory-visual equivalences. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 14, 5–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SIDMAN, M. (2008). Symmetry and equivalence relations in behavior. Cognitive Studies, 15, 322–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • SKINNER, B. F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York: Random House Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • STEELE, D. L., & HAYES, S. C. (1991). Stimulus equivalence and arbitrarily applicable relational responding. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 56, 519–555.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • SMITH, T., EIKESETH, S., KLEVSTRAND, M., & LOVAAS, O. (1997). Intensive behavioral treatment for preschoolers with severe mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorder. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 102, 238–249.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • TUTZAUER, F. (2003). On the sensible application of familywise alpha adjustment. Human Communication Research, 29, 455–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • VERBEKE, G., & MOLENBERGHS, G. (2000). Tinear mixed models for longitudina data. New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • WECHSLER, D. (1992). Wechsler intelligence scale for children-Third edition-UK Manual. London: Psychological Corp, Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • WECHSLER, D. (2004). WISC-IVUK administration and scoring manual. London: Harcourt Assessment.

    Google Scholar 

  • WILLIAMS, B., MYERSON, J., & HALE, S. (2008). Individual differences, intelligence, and behavior analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 90, 219–231.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland

    Sarah Cassidy, Bryan Roche & Steven C. Hayes

  2. University of Nevada, Reno, USA

    Bryan Roche & Steven C. Hayes

Authors
  1. Sarah Cassidy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bryan Roche
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Steven C. Hayes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryan Roche.

Additional information

The current research was supported by a Sidney W. and Janet R. Bijou Fellowship award (2006) to the first author from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA). The research formed part of the first author’s doctoral research program under the supervision of the second author.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cassidy, S., Roche, B. & Hayes, S.C. A Relational Frame Training Intervention to Raise Intelligence Quotients: A Pilot Study. Psychol Rec 61, 173–198 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395755

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03395755

Key words

Search

Navigation