The cognitive-developmental dimension and relational frames

A colleague suggested that I look into relational frame theory after reading an article I wrote several years ago about developing an electronic developmental scoring system based primarily upon relational vocabulary. It was an interesting journey. The human version of this scoring system relies upon the analysis of syntactic structure, combined with an analysis of the inferred structure of meanings. But the process of seeking a way to automate aspects of scoring moved us away from syntax (too hard to capture without human parsing) toward vocabulary. The first thing we learned was that nouns are useless. The second thing we learned was that relational terms are very useful.

Of course, this should not have been as much of a surprise as it was, since most of the developmental scoring systems in existence rely heavily upon relational language. Development is, after all, about increasing complexity and coordination.

I will enjoy reading more about RFT and the way you apply it in ACT.