Relational frame
The spatial frame
Relating objects in space: above, beside, inside, behind.
What it looks like
Spatial relations are often taught non-arbitrarily first, using actual physical arrangements, then brought under arbitrary control so that the learner can respond to described positions they cannot see.
Most spatial relations reverse cleanly under mutual entailment: if the cup is on the box, the box is under the cup.
Worked example
A learner is taught that the ball is behind the box, and that the box is beside the chair.
They can then answer questions about where the ball is relative to the chair, and can act on a described arrangement without having seen it, which is the arbitrary application the frame is for.
How to build a lesson for this frame
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Train with real objects first
Establish the relational terms against physical arrangements the learner can see and manipulate.
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Move to described arrangements
Remove the visual and have the learner construct or select from a verbal description. This is the shift from non-arbitrary to arbitrary control.
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Probe reversals and combinations
Test the entailed reverse relation and combinations across two objects.
Common pitfalls
Leaving the arrangement visible throughout keeps responding under non-arbitrary control, so the learner never has to frame relationally. Fading the visual is the point of the lesson, not an optional extra.
Build a spatial lesson
Draft the trial structure in RFT App, then edit it into the program you actually want.
See how it worksOther relational frames
Common questions
- What is a spatial frame?
- A relational frame that relates objects by position, using relations such as above, below, beside, inside, and behind.
- How do you move spatial framing from concrete to arbitrary?
- Start with visible physical arrangements, then fade the visual so the learner responds to a described arrangement they cannot see.