Assessing the Efficacy of a Relational Skills Training Intervention inImproving Intellectual Function in a Sample of High IQ Adults
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Recent advances in Relational Frame Theory have proposed that levels of\nsophistication with relational concepts may be of fundamental importance to intelligent\nbehaviour. Furthermore, previous investigations have implicated the efficacy of relational\nskills intervention in improving intellectual performance, as measured by traditional IQ\nassessments. The current thesis aimed to extend upon such research by further assessing the\ncontribution of relational ability to intelligence, as well as the effect of relational skills\ntraining on intellectual performance. In the first study, thirty-four high IQ college students\nwere recruited to assess the effectiveness of a relational training protocol in increasing\nWAIS-III IQ scores when compared to a non-intervention group. The current analysis failed\nto report a significant effect of relational training in increasing scores on the Full, Verbal or\nPerformance IQ. While there was a significant effect of training on Verbal Comprehension\nscores, this effect was not found for the other IQ subindices.\nThe second study involved a correlational analysis of WAIS-III IQ scores and\nrelational ability scores. Results indicated a high level of correlation between these\nmeasures, further proposing the importance of relational responding to intelligence. In\naddition, this investigation aimed to further explore possible reasons for the diminished effect\nof relational training in improving intellectual performance in the first study. It must be\nnoted that while pronounced practice effects found for the control group rendered betweengroup\ndifferences insignificant, there were qualitatively different rises witnessed in subtest\nscores. Specifically, while both groups displayed significant increases on subtests that\ninvolved a timed element, only the experimental group displayed significant increases on\nuntimed subtests. Furthermore, high IQ was not found to significantly correlate with postintervention\nIQ rises. However, the current sample displayed IQ gains significantly lower\nthan that witnessed in average IQ cohorts. While the current analysis identifies a number of\npossible boundary conditions of the current intervention, much remains to be understood in\nterms of variables that may exert an influence on the effectiveness of relational training in\nimproving intellectual performance.
Author: Dylan Colbert
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2604855356