verbal operants

Begin exploring the differences and similarities between B.F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior (VB) and relational frame theory (RFT) with this collection of article quizzes. You will learn how RFT extends Skinner’s interpretation of metaphor, an approach to synthesizing both RFT and Skinner’s VB, and an overview of what RFT is and why it has been controversial in behavior analysis. This focus pack includes three quizzes based on these articles and a final, integrative quiz that encourages comparison and synthesis.

In 2001, the first book-length treatment of relational frame theory (RFT) was published. It spawned several reviews and critiques in behavior-analytic journals, including prominent ones by Mark Galizio and David Palmer. Two of the lead authors of the RFT book (Steve Hayes and Dermot Barnes-Holmes) published a response to those critiques. Then, in 2011, Jack Michael, David Palmer, and Mark Sundberg published an article on multiple control, which they assert can account for derived relations and naming. In this focus pack, you will read all of these articles to gain a better understanding of the advanced topics surrounding the analysis of complex human behavior.