{"title":"Rule-based insensitivity to contingencies according to self-reported generalized pliance/tracking and the instruction functions","authors":"Esmeralda Martínez-Carrillo, Francisco J. Ruiz","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2026.100979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2026.100979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rule-based insensitivity to contingencies is a behavioral phenomenon in which participants instructed to respond correctly exhibit lower sensitivity to changing contingencies compared to those who learn through trial and error. A recent review highlighted a bias in the literature, suggesting that trial-and-error participants may follow rules that are similar to those followed by individuals who have learned through explicit instruction. Furthermore, two types of rule-following, pliance and tracking, are believed to influence this insensitivity, but the analysis has incurred the conceptual shortcoming of defining these rules from the experimenter's perspective instead of focusing on the functions the rules have for participants. This study aimed to address these limitations by asking participants about the task functions at the end of the experiment and by recruiting those with self-reported generalized pliance and tracking. Ninety participants completed a matching-to-sample task in two conditions: General Instruction (GI) and General Instruction + Responding Criteria (GI + RC; i.e., explicit instruction indicating how to respond correctly). As expected, the GI + RC group showed less sensitivity to changing contingencies. Interestingly, about one-third of GI participants believed they had responding criteria, behaving similarly to the GI + RC group. There were no sensitivity differences between high pliance and high tracking participants, but pliance participants were more motivated to follow instructions and earn points. This study builds upon previous research by examining participants' rule-following in the trial-and-error condition and highlighting the varying functions of traditional tasks for high pliance and tracking individuals. These differences might increase insensitivity in pliance participants, but also enhance their sensitivity by heightening their motivation for the arbitrary reinforcement of the task</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100979"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147394465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychological flexibility and rigidity among Ukrainian military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder and adjustment disorder","authors":"Dmytro I. Boiko, Anastasiia D. Shkodina","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This observational cross-sectional study examined psychological flexibility and rigidity in Ukrainian military personnel participating in the Russian-Ukrainian war. A total of 129 male combatants were divided into three groups: those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, n = 63), those with adjustment disorder (n = 36), and a control group without mental disorders (n = 30). Psychological flexibility and rigidity were assessed using the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI). Results demonstrated that combatants with PTSD exhibited the lowest psychological flexibility and highest psychological rigidity compared to the control group. Participants with adjustment disorder showed intermediate levels of psychological flexibility between the PTSD and control groups, while maintaining elevated psychological rigidity comparable to the PTSD group. Significant differences were observed across all components of psychological flexibility and rigidity except for acceptance and experiential avoidance, which were similar across all groups. Notably, combatants with PTSD showed significantly higher levels of cognitive fusion and inaction compared to those with adjustment disorder. These findings highlight psychological flexibility as a potential therapeutic target for military personnel with stress-associated mental disorders and suggest that targeted interventions enhancing specific psychological flexibility components may constitute an efficacious approach to addressing combat stress sequelae.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100972"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145796892","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joseph Ciarrochi , Steven C. Hayes , Domonkos File , Kirk Warren Brown , Keong Yap , Madeleine I. Fraser , Cristobal Hernandez , Diana Hill , Louise Hayes , Clarissa W. Ong , Baljinder Sahdra
{"title":"From experiential attachment to nonattachment: A theory-informed review of harmful and healthy pursuits of comfort, approval, competence, status, and control","authors":"Joseph Ciarrochi , Steven C. Hayes , Domonkos File , Kirk Warren Brown , Keong Yap , Madeleine I. Fraser , Cristobal Hernandez , Diana Hill , Louise Hayes , Clarissa W. Ong , Baljinder Sahdra","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nonattachment has long been regarded as crucial for inner peace and spiritual growth, with traditions in Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Sikhism, and Islam emphasizing the release from ego-driven striving and excessive pursuit of pleasurable states. We propose a functional definition of nonattachment as a behavioral repertoire that involves noticing the pull of socially and culturally created rewards (e.g., praise, control, status, self-image) without automatically acting on them, and re-orienting attention to present circumstances and values-based action. Central to this stance is reducing the dominance of symbolic control, in which the pursuit of positive symbolic experiences disproportionately guides behavior and overrides sensitivity to other contingencies. In this review, we apply Relational Frame Theory and the Extended Evolutionary Meta-Model to organize and interpret the diverse findings related to nonattachment and its functions. Evidence links nonattachment to well-being, pain tolerance, openness, and prosociality, and points to intervention targets across biological, psychological, interpersonal, and cultural levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"39 ","pages":"Article 100971"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145883899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Núñez , Rubén Trigueros , Jaime Yañez-Lizana , Jose M. Aguilar Parra , Jonathan M. Salazar , Vania Martínez , Jorge Gaete , Álvaro I. Langer
{"title":"Psychometric properties of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y8) in socioeconomically disadvantaged Chilean adolescents","authors":"Daniel Núñez , Rubén Trigueros , Jaime Yañez-Lizana , Jose M. Aguilar Parra , Jonathan M. Salazar , Vania Martínez , Jorge Gaete , Álvaro I. Langer","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100933","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100933","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychological inflexibility (PI) is considered a transdiagnostic mechanism that underlies the development, maintenance, and exacerbation of a wide range of psychological problems in adolescents. The main instrument for evaluating PI in adolescents is the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y), however, there is scarce evidence of its relation with other constructs in socioeconomically disadvantaged adolescents. This study is a secondary data analysis aimed at examining the factor structure, reliability, convergent validity, and invariance across sex of the 8-item AFQ-Y in 297 Chilean adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts (M = 14.87 (.78), 46.8 % women). Results confirmed that the AFQ-Y8 has an unifactorial structure as well as adequate internal reliability and convergent validity. Furthermore, it was observed that it is significantly associated with measures of mindfulness and depression and the emotion regulation strategy expressive suppression, but not with the strategy cognitive reappraisal. Given its adequate psychometric properties, the AFQ-Y8 can be used with Chilean adolescents in socioeconomically disadvantaged settings. However, further research testing its psychometric properties in a broader adolescent population is needed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100933"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Acceptance and commitment therapy can reduce emotional eating behavior in Turkish adults: A randomized controlled trial","authors":"Büşra Kavla , Yasin Kavla , Hasan Turan Karatepe","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Emotional eating (EE) is a significant clinical feature of eating disorders. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an effective treatment approach for eating disorders. However, the effectiveness of ACT on EE remains unclear. This study aims to develop a new ACT-based intervention and evaluate its effectiveness on EE.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Forty-five females participated and were randomly assigned to either the ACT group (n = 46) or the control group (n = 45). All participants completed validated measures of emotional eating, psychological flexibility, emotion regulation difficulty, and mindful eating at two points: baseline and post-treatment. At one-month follow-up, participants in the ACT group also completed the baseline measures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Post-intervention, EE and psychological inflexibility were significantly reduced, while psychological flexibility and mindful eating were significantly increased in the ACT group compared to the control. At follow-up, the ACT group continued to show significantly lower EE levels.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>To date, only one study has investigated ACT's effectiveness in addressing EE, using a one-day workshop format, which was considered inadequate for developing acceptance and value clarification skills. This study is the first to adapt traditional ACT practices specifically for EE, with sufficient treatment duration. It is also the first to assess the intervention's impact on psychological flexibility. The results provide preliminary evidence of the potential of an ACT-based approach to reduce EE.</div></div><div><h3>Level of evidence</h3><div>Level I, Evidence obtained from at least one properly designed randomized controlled trial, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses; experimental studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100943"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haydi N. Barajas , Nicolás Farfán , Laura J. Rodríguez , Betty Peña-Tomas , Yury A. Larrea-Rivera , Yeraldin Gutiérrez , Sofía Iriarte-Becerra , Paola A. Rodríguez , Jaime H. Moreno-Méndez , Francisco J. Ruiz
{"title":"An idiographic comparison of ACT focused on repetitive negative thinking versus non-directive therapy in child generalized anxiety","authors":"Haydi N. Barajas , Nicolás Farfán , Laura J. Rodríguez , Betty Peña-Tomas , Yury A. Larrea-Rivera , Yeraldin Gutiérrez , Sofía Iriarte-Becerra , Paola A. Rodríguez , Jaime H. Moreno-Méndez , Francisco J. Ruiz","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anxiety disorders are common among children, with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) being one of the most prevalent. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has demonstrated efficacy in treating these disorders, but there is still room for improvement. Notably, the most extensively tested CBT intervention is only slightly more efficacious than non-directive therapy (NDT), which is often used as a psychological placebo intervention. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an alternative to CBT and is gaining traction as a viable treatment for childhood anxiety disorders. Specifically, a version of ACT that integrates relational frame theory (RFT) in greater depth and targets repetitive negative thinking (RNT) appears particularly suited for addressing GAD in children. This study conducted an idiographic comparison of RNT-focused ACT versus NDT for treating GAD in children aged 8–12 years. The research employed a randomized, two-sample, multiple-baseline design with 17 participants. The interventions were delivered via videoconference and consisted of three 45-min sessions. The results indicated that participants who received the RNT-focused ACT protocol demonstrated greater improvements in emotional symptoms and pathological worry than those who received NDT, as reported by parents and children. The reduction of worry mediated the effect of the RNT-focused ACT intervention for all participants, according to their parents’ reports. In conclusion, brief RNT-focused ACT interventions are promising for treating GAD in children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100944"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145097145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Executive functioning and relational framing in verbal adults","authors":"Xiaoyuan Liu , Maithri Sivaraman , Elle Kirsten","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Relational Frame Theory (RFT) sees the operant acquisition of various patterns of derived relational responding as being key to language and cognition. Executive function (EF) is a concept widely used in cognitive psychology and is said to be critical for problem-solving, self-regulation, and overall success and wellbeing. The current study was a preliminary attempt to study the relationship between a measure of EF and fluency in derived relational responding. Forty-two verbal adults (25 males) participated in the study. All of them undertook a standardized EF test, the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST) and an experimenter-designed arbitrary relational responding assessment. The WCST required participants to match compound stimuli based on unspecified, frequently changing rules. The relational assessment evaluated rate of correct derived relational responding across seven relational frames. The results showed strong negative correlations between perseverative errors on the WCST and the overall rate of correct responses on the relational assessment, but no such correlations between correct responses on the WCST and those on the relational assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100957"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Psychological flexibility and psychological distress among students: A temporal network approach","authors":"Quentin Facon-Barillot , Lucia Romo , Luca Gallego De Dios , Yannick Morvan","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, the growing scientific interest in student mental health has highlighted a deterioration of their psychological state. Among promising interventions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on psychological flexibility (PF), has drawn particular interest. However, the specific temporal dynamics linking PF dimensions to psychological distress (PD) remain underexplored. This study employs a temporal network approach applied to ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data to examine these interactions among French university students. Results reveal that the mindfulness dimension of PF plays a central role in the contemporary network, closely connecting PF and PD. At the temporal level, we observe that engaging in actions aligned with one's values leads to greater awareness of those values, hence promoting enhanced well-being. However, these findings are only partially replicated in the existing literature, suggesting that the observed links between PF and PD may vary depending on context, studied populations, and the measurement temporality. This study underscores the importance of using multilevel protocols to better understand the specific PF processes involved in PD. The study's limitations and methodological avenues for future research are also discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100953"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The core extrusion schema, psychological inflexibility and social anxiety symptoms in Adolescents: A network analysis","authors":"Yue Chen , Fei Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100934","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcbs.2025.100934","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The core extrusion schema (CES) and psychological inflexibility (PI) significantly influence individuals’ experiences of social anxiety. Previous research has predominantly centered on correlations and regressions between PI, CES, and social anxiety, leaving a gap in understanding at the symptom level. However, investigating these symptom-level relationships may not only provide valuable insights into the dynamics among PI, CES, and social anxiety symptoms, but also point toward more targeted strategies for clinical treatment and prevention.</div><div>In this study, network analysis was employed to examine symptom-level interconnections among symptoms of PI, CES, and social anxiety in a sample of 1745 high school students. Results from the PI network highlighted the significant impact of cognitive fusion on school life, particularly how “Thoughts Hinder Performance in School” drives social anxiety symptoms. Results from both the CES network and a combined network incorporating all variables pointed to “Hiding Oneself in Socialization” and “Fear of the Real Self Being Perceived” as crucial in sustaining the co-occurrence of social anxiety symptoms, CES variables, and PI variables.</div><div>These findings may help illuminate the cognitive processes that perpetuate social anxiety symptoms and reveal precise targets for clinical intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47544,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article 100934"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}