Reticulated ScienceSteven C. Hayes, University of Nevada

The Purpose of ACBS

Creating a psychology more adequate to the challenge of the human condition

Where CBS Started:Behavior Analysis

Philosophical clarity

Basic principles from the lab

Inductive extensions using functional analysis

Time series designs evaluating extensions

What do you do when you hit a wall? COG NI TION

COG NI TION

COG NI TION

LAN GU AGE

LAN GULAN GU AGEAGE

LAN GU AGE

GU AGE LAN GU AGE LAN

LAN GU AGE LAN GU AGE LAN

COG NI TION

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NI TION COG NI

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COG

Why That is Not Enough

The CBS Strategy

Rearrange the relation between applied and basic psychology

You Cannot Turn This Over to Someone Else

The CBS approach: Applied and basic psychologists need to take responsibility for each other and for the field as a whole

ACT in Silence

1985

1987

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1997

1999

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2003

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2007

2009

0

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RCTs on ACT by Year

Its Not Bottom Up vs Top Down

It’s reticulated development versus silos

Context Theory of Cognition

Manipulable variables linked to actions of importance

This is controlled by history and context

Limoo

Betrang

1. Mutual Entailment

2. Combinatorial Entailment

Functions

Betrangsour

salivation

citrus

bumpy

lemonade yellow

3. Transformationof Functions

soursalivation

citrus

bumpy

lemonade yellow

Manipulable variables linked to actions of importance

This is controlled by history and context

A Classic Example all Parents Know

A child learns that a nickel is “smaller than” a dime

5 10

And thus that a dimeis “bigger than” a nickel

10 5

& is worth moregood

5If

Good

10then

Our Fence-Post DumbBehavioral Idea

• Maybe it is operant behavior• View it as a contextual

controlled relational response, based originally on multiple exemplar training

It Can Be Trained Berens and Hayes, JABA, 2008

It Makes a DifferenceGiven A < B < C; Shocks to B

Dougher et al., JEAB, 2007

The Applied Basic GambitFound a New Way Forward

Expand Behavioral Principles to Account for Human Language and Cognition: Relational Frame Theory

Liberalized Language

Practitioners need middle level terms. These needs to be linked to basic principles and integrated into models and theories.

Self asContext

Contact with the Present Moment

Defusion

Acceptance

Committed Action

Values

Probability of Avoidance

100%

50%

100%

50%

“Don’t Think “Bear” Earlier

Remove “Bear”B

EA

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PosD NegD

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0.13

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0.23

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Mea

n D

-IRA

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ore

ms

Expectations of DepressivesLiv Kosness, Louise A. McHugh, Jo Saunders & Robert Whelan

IAT versus IRAPSarah Roddy, Ian Stewart & Dermot Barnes-Holmes

.1

.05

R2 Above Explicit Anti-Fat Attitudes

R2 Above Feelings toward Fat People

IAT

IRA

P

IAT

IRA

P

.1

.05

Relation to behavioral intentions

ExampleJared Chase dissertation

Adjusted Cumulative GPA

3.05

3.1

3.15

3.2

Beginning Spring 2009

End Spring 2009

End Fall 2009

3 Group RCT: Wait list, Goal-Setting, Values plus Goal-Setting

Psych Majors Not in Study (N = 447)

Goal Setting Alone (N = 48)

Wait list (N = 33)

Values plus Goal Setting (N = 51)

Now add: Values plus Goal Setting

THEN

NOW

YOU

I

HERE

THERE

Deictic Frames

Perspective Taking Self

Self-as-context

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.

30405060708090

100

Pre Simple DoubleReversals

Phases

Perc

ent C

orre

ct Deictic

ToM

Relation of Deictic Framing to Theory of Mind Performance

For Example: Caring About Being

With Others

Roger Vilardaga, Ana Estévez, Michael E. Levin and Steven C. Hayes

Social Anhedonia

I/YouHere/There

Now/Then

-

Perspective Taking Empathy Experiential

Avoidance

JoySadness

- - +

Repertoire Narrowing

Social AnhedoniaR2 ∆F β

Step 1 .036 1.865 Gender -.17 Age -.09Step 2 .10* 6.914 Gender -.13 Age -.10 Deictic ability -.26*Step 3 15* 5.172 Gender -.06 Age -.04 Deictic ability -.23* Empathic concern -.23*Step 4 .26** 14.599 Gender -.02 Age .05 Deictic ability -.18† Empathic concern -.26* Experiential Avoidance .35**

Its Not Bottom Up vs Top Down

It’s reticulated development versus silos