Nonarbitrary relational responding and early math development in young children

Relational Frame Theory (RFT) sees the operant acquisition of various patterns of relational responding as being key to language and cognition. Interventions that apply RFT have been shown to be effective, are increasingly more prevalent, and seem to have wide-ranging benefits including increases in intelligence scores and academic performance. Nonarbitrary relations (i.e., relations based on formal properties) are said to be a key precursor that facilitates arbitrary relations in young children. Despite the importance of this repertoire, very few studies have investigated its development. Similarly, although relational responding is said to be an overarching higher-order operant that can be applied to any stimulus content, the specific relationship (if any) between nonarbitrary relational responding and early mathematical skills remains unknown. In the present study, we measured nonarbitrary relational responding in a sample of 43 neurotypical and neurodiverse children between the ages of 2–6 years across six relational frames and four response topographies and assessed their mathematics problem solving. We found that nonarbitrary relational responding improved with age, was strongly correlated with mathematical ability, and there was a significant difference in scores between the neurotypical and neurodivergent groups. We also found some differences between response topographies and specific contextual cues.