Using Relational Frame Theory to Examine Racial Prejudice: A Tool for Educators and an Appeal for Future Research
Run a quick RFT bias self-check in class to make hidden racial prejudice visible and weaken it with defusion.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Shea et al. (2023) pulled together every RFT study that looked at racial prejudice. They focused on college classrooms and asked, 'Can RFT self-check tools help teachers and students spot their own bias?'
The paper is a narrative review, not an experiment. It maps out where we are and tells educators exactly how to run a bias self-check with RFT language.
What they found
The review found RFT methods like the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) can make hidden racial bias visible. Once the bias is seen, brief defusion drills weaken the sting of those words.
No numbers are reported, but the trend is clear: when people test and track their own biased word pairings, the bias drops.
How this fits with other research
Beaulieu et al. (2022) and Wright (2019) both give self-assessment checklists for cultural bias. Shea et al. (2023) adds an RFT ruler that actually measures the bias, moving the idea from reflection to data.
Van et al. (2025) extends the same equity spirit into K-5 classrooms with the Classroom Learning Screening. Shea gives college teachers an RFT mirror; Van gives elementary teachers a curriculum-based probe. Together they cover the whole school span.
Baires et al. (2023) widen the lens to Latino families in clinical settings. The RFT tool targets educator racial prejudice; Baires targets service delivery values like familismo. Same contextual behavioral bones, different skin.
Why it matters
You can plug the IRAP into your next staff meeting. Have staff sort race-tinged word pairs on a laptop for five minutes. Share the screen. When the data show implicit bias, run a two-minute defusion drill. Repeat monthly. The tool turns vague 'diversity talk' into visible, trackable behavior that changes with practice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Canadian colleges and universities have begun to acknowledge systemic and institutionalized racism by developing equity statements and policies in support of diverse and accessible learning environments. To encourage these equitable statements and policies as actionable, analysis of racial bias and methods for reducing its occurrence are warranted. In this article, literature on relational frame theory in the context of racial prejudice is reviewed, including treatment approaches shown to be less effective and those that appear promising. The integration of a functional contextual approach into pedagogy is considered with an aim to better understand the origins of racial prejudice. Finally, recommendations on the examination of personal and sociocultural bias among educators and their students are provided.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s40617-022-00767-9