ACT Theoretical Foundations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which philosophical tradition most directly underpins ACT's stance toward language and cognition?
- Logical positivism
- Functional contextualism (Correct answer)
- Structural determinism
- Cartesian dualism
Correct answer: Functional contextualism
ACT is grounded in functional contextualism, which judges thoughts and behaviors by their function in context rather than their literal truth.
Question 2: In Relational Frame Theory, 'derived relational responding' refers to:
- Responding based on direct reinforcement history only
- Relating stimuli in ways not directly trained but derived from other relations (Correct answer)
- Avoiding emotional responses to neutral stimuli
- Matching stimuli based on physical similarity
Correct answer: Relating stimuli in ways not directly trained but derived from other relations
Derived relational responding occurs when an organism relates stimuli in ways not directly trained, such as inferring A>C after learning A>B and B>C.
Question 3: The ACT concept of 'experiential avoidance' is best described as:
- Deliberately planning to avoid dangerous situations
- Efforts to suppress, escape, or alter unwanted private events (Correct answer)
- The natural tendency to approach novel experiences cautiously
- Behavioral inhibition in social situations
Correct answer: Efforts to suppress, escape, or alter unwanted private events
Experiential avoidance is the attempt to suppress, escape from, or avoid unwanted internal experiences such as thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
Question 4: Which frame type in RFT involves relating stimuli as opposite to each other (e.g., up/down, fast/slow)?
- Frame of coordination
- Frame of opposition (Correct answer)
- Frame of distinction
- Frame of hierarchy
Correct answer: Frame of opposition
The frame of opposition in RFT involves relating two stimuli as opposites, such that properties of one derive inversely from the other.
Question 5: ACT's 'cognitive fusion' most closely parallels which concept from traditional CBT?
- Behavioral activation
- Cognitive distortions taken literally (Correct answer)
- Graduated exposure
- Schema consolidation
Correct answer: Cognitive distortions taken literally
Cognitive fusion, where thoughts are taken literally and as commands, is conceptually similar to how CBT describes cognitive distortions that are believed without question.
Question 6: In ACT theory, the 'observing self' or 'self-as-context' is characterized by:
- A stable narrative identity built over time
- A transcendent perspective that notices experience without being defined by it (Correct answer)
- The collection of self-evaluative thoughts and beliefs
- The ego state that mediates between impulses and social norms
Correct answer: A transcendent perspective that notices experience without being defined by it
Self-as-context refers to a stable, transcendent perspective from which one can observe thoughts and feelings without being fused with or defined by them.
Question 7: According to RFT, why does telling someone 'don't think about a white bear' typically increase white bear thoughts?
- Because suppression requires more cognitive resources than thought generation
- Because the instruction creates a relational frame linking the suppression rule to white bear, increasing its salience (Correct answer)
- Because white bears are inherently attention-grabbing stimuli
- Because working memory capacity is exceeded by the dual task
Correct answer: Because the instruction creates a relational frame linking the suppression rule to white bear, increasing its salience
RFT explains that the suppression instruction itself is relationally framed with the target thought, which paradoxically strengthens the stimulus network involving white bears.
ACT Theoretical Foundations 2
Which philosophical tradition most directly underpins ACT's stance toward language and cognition?