The Latest Model Developments of the Relational Frame Theory: From MDML to HDML

Wang Shujuan; Chen Jing; Zhu Zhuohong

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240525

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (5) : 1262-1270. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240525

Clinical Psychology & Consulting

The Latest Model Developments of the Relational Frame Theory: From MDML to HDML

Wang Shujuan¹, Chen Jing^1,2, Zhu Zhuohong^1,2

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Abstract

The Relational Frame Theory (RFT) is a contemporary theory of language and cognition based on behavioral analysis, proposed by American psychologists Hayes and colleagues in 1985. RFT refers to a class of responses that involve relationships between stimuli that are clearly defined and controlled within a context as Arbitrary Applicable Relational Responses (AARR), which is the fundamental process of RFT. This article reviews early RFT research and systematically discusses the latest developments in RFT theory, including the multidimensional multilevel model (MDML) and the hyper-dimensional multilevel model (HDML) developed in recent years.
Early RFT research often focused on the"demonstration research". That is, the early RFT research involved demonstrations of predicted entailment and transformation effects. Frameworks are either demonstrated or they are not. However, the key to RFT lies in the functional response units that involve associations rather than individual stimuli. In other words, once a relational frame is established as an operant response, operant contingencies will influence the associated response units.
To further develop the demonstration research stage discussed earlier, Researchers developed the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The IRAP is a computer-based task that combines the Implicit Association Test (IAT) with the Relational Evaluation Procedure (REP). Its purpose is to measure the strength or occurrence probability of natural language relations by eliciting responses from participants under time pressure . However, due to its close connection with the IAT, subsequent research quickly focused on implicit attitudes and cognition, thereby reducing attention to the RFT or AARR itself. Therefore, researchers advocate returning to the initial focus of RFT research and striving to analyze the formation of relational frames. This led to the development of the MDML and HDML.
The MDML framework identifies four dimensions of RFT analysis and five levels of relational development. The four dimensions are relational consistency, relational complexity, derived relations, and flexibility. The five levels of relational development are mutual entailing relational framing, relational networking, relating relations, and relating relational networking. MDML conceptualizes and studies the 20 intersections between the four dimensions of relational analysis and the five levels of development to understand and study the dynamics of AARR in laboratory and natural environments. HDML shifts the focus from individual frames to relational interactive networks and establishes a new concept analysis unit called ROE-M, representing relationship, orientation, evocation, and motivation aspects within RFT. Orientation in HDML refers to the extent to which a stimulus event is noticed or "stands out" in a broader context. Evocation refers to whether the noticed stimulus or event is liked, disliked, or relatively neutral, and the degree to which the stimulus event is considered approachable or avoidable. Motivation represents the intensity of motivational factors that interact with orientation and/or evocation and is dynamically related. ROE-M emphasizes the functional features of contexts and provides a concise and precise analysis of the impact of language skills on any contextual variable of human behavior, while always emphasizing the highly dynamic and complex nature of human psychological events. Explanations of behavior based on the inseparable characteristics of ROE-M extends beyond the reinforcement process and even beyond traditional RFT explanations.
The RFT and its subsequent developments in the MDML and HDML frameworks aim to provide an accurate, concise, and functional analysis framework for describing verbal behavior and to provide a unified analytic framework for psychological events or issues. The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), based on the development of the RFT, has been empirically validated in international and domestic clinical psychological interventions. However, there is still limited introduction and exploration of the RFT and its latest developments among Chinese scholars. We hope that Chinese scholars can systematically validate this theory within the Chinese cultural context and explore the cultural adaptability of the RFT in different settings and populations, thus fully realizing its practical value.

Key words

relational frame theory (RFT) / behavior analysis / AARR / MDML / HDML

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Wang Shujuan, Chen Jing, Zhu Zhuohong. The Latest Model Developments of the Relational Frame Theory: From MDML to HDML[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2024, 47(5): 1262-1270 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240525

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