Stop Making Sense: Exploring Basic Properties and Clinical Applications of Coherence

This study explored the ways in which people make sense of ambiguous tasks and the degree to which people prefer contexts where coherent responding is possible. Relational frame theory contains a foundational assumption that coherence (i.e., making sense) is reinforcing for verbally competent humans. That is, it is assumed that humans relate ambiguous stimuli in ways that go together because they have an extensive learning history where others have given praise, positive attention, and other reinforcement for this behavior. This study was designed to empirically investigate this core assumption of relational frame theory by analyzing response patterns to ambiguous stimuli and by assessing whether participants displayed a preference towards coherent contexts. Obtained findings revealed that the majority of participants responded to ambiguous stimuli in ways that were internally consistent and coherent in the absence of any programmed contingencies. Many participants also displayed a preference toward contexts where coherent responding was possible and a small subset of participants persisted in this preference even when it was increasingly costly to do so. Reports of frustration obtained throughout the preparation were moderated both by performance in study tasks and by measures of cognitive fusion and psychological inflexibility. The major theoretical contributions of these findings as well as applied implications were discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. in Psychology

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Bordieri, Michael James

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kelly G. Wilson
• Mark Van Boening
• John Young

• Cognitive Fusion
• Coherence
• Frustration
• Psychological Flexibility
• Relational Frame Theory
• Sense Making
• Clinical Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/57

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-1056