Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding, Explained

Arbitrarily applicable relational responding is a mouthful, but the idea is simple. It means relating two things based on a cue, not on how they look. People learn to link words and ideas in flexible ways.

This skill matters because it sits under human language and thought. Behavior analysts call it AARR for short. It tells you whether certain talk-based therapies will work. That makes it a key check before you pick a treatment path.

What this skill really means#

First, think about relating things by how they look. A big rock is clearly bigger than a small rock. Your eyes tell you the answer with no learning needed.

Now think about relating things by a made-up rule. A nickel is bigger than a dime in size. But we learn that a dime is worth more than a nickel. That value link is not in the coins. We taught it.

That taught link is arbitrarily applicable relational responding. The word "arbitrary" means the rule is set by us, not by looks. People who can do this can relate almost any two things.

Relating things by arbitrary cues#

Tom Sabo describes this skill as a plain question you can ask. He wants to know if a person can link things by learned cues. Not by shape, size, or color, but by an idea.

Does the individual that you're working with relate things arbitrarily? Can they take any two things in front of them and relate them on the basis of arbitrary cues? From the talk. Tom Sabo

The cues can be words like "same," "opposite," or "more than." A learner hears "this is more valuable" and acts on it. They do not need to see or touch the value.

This skill unlocks a huge web of meaning. Once you learn a few links, many others follow on their own. That is why AARR is seen as the root of language.

Young children build this skill slowly at first. They learn that a word stands for a thing. Then they learn words can relate to other words. Soon they can compare, oppose, and rank ideas with ease.

Why it decides if ACT will work#

Acceptance and Commitment Training, or ACT, leans hard on language. It asks clients to notice thoughts and choose values. Dr. Tom Szabo says you must first check if the client can relate arbitrarily.

You want to ask yourself, number one, can this person engage in that kind of relational framing that we were talking about before? Arbitrarily applicable relational responding in any medium. From the talk — Dr. Tom Szabo

Notice the phrase "in any medium." The skill can show up through speech, signs, or a device. What matters is the flexible linking, not the way it is shown.

This question acts like a gate. If the client cannot relate things arbitrarily, ACT is not the right fit. You return to direct teaching instead.

If not, then you go back to what you had been doing and say, well, there's something here that we missed. But if they can, if they can do arbitrarily applicable relational responding, at that point, you move to act. From the talk — Dr. Tom Szabo

This keeps clinicians honest. You do not force a verbal therapy on someone not ready for it. You match the method to the learner's real skills.

The link to interfering verbal behavior#

There is a flip side to having this skill. When a person can relate things arbitrarily, their words can hurt them. Their own thoughts can drive problem behavior.

if the person that you're working with is capable of arbitrarily applicable relational responding, relating things arbitrarily on the basis of arbitrary cues, well, then probably they're engaging in some kind of interfering verbal behavior. From the talk. Tom Sabo

Interfering verbal behavior means unhelpful self-talk that gets in the way. A person might think "I always fail" and avoid a task. That thought is not a fact, but it still steers action.

This is where ACT earns its place. It targets the way thoughts push behavior. For clients with AARR, that focus can free them from harmful rules.

A learner without this skill needs a different path. For them, direct teaching of concrete skills works better. There is no web of thoughts to untangle yet. You build the basics first and revisit ACT later.

Notice how the two speakers use the same idea. Szabo treats AARR as a yes-or-no gate for ACT. Sabo treats it as a clue about what drives the behavior. One decides if you use ACT, the other explains why you might need it.

What the research says#

Research ties this skill directly to anxiety and fear. One review explains how learned links can spread fear to new things. A person can dread something they never had a bad experience with (Dymond, Bennett, Boyle, Roche, & Schlund, 2017). The same skill that builds language can also build suffering.

Researchers see AARR as the base of language and thought. One paper compares two behavioral theories of how children learn to talk. It maps the levels and dimensions of arbitrarily applicable relational responding in early language (Sivaraman, Barnes-Holmes, Greer, Fienup, & Roeyers, 2023). This shows how central the skill is to development.

The theory keeps growing in new directions. One recent article argues for a field-based view of language and cognition. It uses the DAARRE model to study complex relational responding (Harte & Barnes-Holmes, 2024). The work shows the concept is still being refined.

There may even be uses for aging minds. One article suggests training flexible relational responding to support older adults. The author links this skill to core thinking abilities that fade with age (Kelly, 2020). More study is needed, but the idea is promising.

FAQ#

What is a simple example of arbitrarily applicable relational responding?

Learning that a dime is worth more than a nickel is one example. The dime is smaller, so looks do not explain the value. We taught that link with an arbitrary cue.

How is AARR related to relational frame theory?

Relational frame theory uses AARR as its core building block. The theory says language grows from learning to relate things arbitrarily. AARR is the behavior that theory tries to explain.

Why do clinicians check AARR before starting ACT?

ACT relies on language, thoughts, and values to work. A client who cannot relate things arbitrarily may not benefit. Checking first helps you match the therapy to the learner.

This skill is a decision point in verbal therapies, a theme in From Research to Practice: Seven Acceptance and Commitment Training Practices You Can Begin Using Today.