RFT App

Relational frame

The coordination frame

Relating stimuli as the same or equivalent. The basis of naming.

What it looks like

Coordination is the relation behind "this is a dog", "these are the same", and "cat means the same as gato". The stimuli need share no physical property; the relation is arbitrary and socially established.

Because coordination is symmetric, mutual entailment is straightforward: if A is the same as B, then B is the same as A. Combinatorial entailment follows just as directly. A is the same as B, B the same as C, therefore A is the same as C.

Worked example

A learner is directly taught two relations: the spoken word "apple" goes with a photograph of an apple, and the photograph goes with the printed word APPLE.

With coordination framing established, the learner derives two further relations without instruction: matching the spoken word to the printed word, and the printed word back to the spoken word. Two taught relations, four functional relations.

How to build a lesson for this frame

  1. Direct training

    Teach the A-B and B-C relations explicitly, to a mastery criterion, with error correction.

  2. Symmetry probes

    Test B-A and C-B without reinforcement, to check that mutual entailment has emerged.

  3. Equivalence probes

    Test A-C and C-A. Success here is the derived relation, and it is the point of the whole sequence.

Common pitfalls

Probing before direct training is at mastery produces uninterpretable data. Reinforcing during probe trials turns a test into more training. And running probes in a fixed order lets position or sequence become the controlling variable rather than the relation itself.

Build a coordination lesson

Draft the trial structure in RFT App, then edit it into the program you actually want.

See how it works

Other relational frames

Distinction

Relating stimuli as different, without specifying how.

Opposition

Relating stimuli as opposites along a shared dimension.

Comparison

Relating stimuli along a graded dimension: more, less, bigger.

Hierarchical

Relating stimuli as member and category, part and whole.

Common questions

What is a coordination frame?
A relational frame that relates stimuli as the same, equivalent, or belonging together. It is the basis of naming and matching repertoires.
What is an example of a coordination frame?
Learning that the spoken word "apple", a picture of an apple, and the printed word APPLE all go together, then matching any of them to any other without being taught every pair.
How do you teach a coordination frame?
Directly train two relations to mastery, then probe for symmetry, then probe for equivalence. The derived probes are run without reinforcement.