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Analogical reasoning is perhaps the core element of intelligent behavior and it has been related to successful aging. The present study aimed to impact the analogical reasoning of the elderly individuals through the application of an analogies protocol based on promoting fluency and flexibility (FFA) in relational responding. The FFA protocol was designed specifically for this study and according to the available information on relational behavior. A pre-post design with two conditions, five participants each ranged of 69 to 89 years old. At pretest, participants responded to two WAIS subscales as well as to three analogies tasks specifically designed for the study. Then, fluency and flexibility analogies protocol (FFA) was applied to the participants of the experimental condition throughout a week. Subsequently, in post-test, the same measures used in the pre-test were applied. The FFA protocol had a significant impact on three of the five measures. The sensitivity of the tests was discussed as well as different ways to improve the protocol impact were all discussed. The relevant effect produced for most of the participants are discussed and highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing Deictic Relational Responding and Theory of Mind with a Sample of University Students. In the study of the Theory of Mind (ToM) as a sine qua non capacity for the development of basic interpersonal abilities which facilitate social repertoire, there has been scarce contributions from the functional analytic behavioral approach to identify the specific variables needed to establish or remedy deficits in these skills. In recent years, Relational Frame Theory has proposed that deictic relations of I-YOU, HERE-THERE and NOW-THEN, with different levels of relational complexity, are found at the base of social skills and thus of ToM. In the present paper these relationships are evaluated in university students, and it is analyzed the possible connection between deictic frames and ToM. The results indicate that this relationship does not seem strongly consistent. The findings are discussed in terms of necessary complexity in deictic relations to solve classical ToM tasks in order to get practical strategies to develop effective intervention in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]