ABSTRACT
Transformation of stimulus functions can occur through respondent and operant conditioning. That it can also come about through derived relational responding is evidence of the additional source of learning, through language, that is accessible to humans. What is interesting about transformation of stimulus functions through derived relational responding is that it can occur without direct contact with the stimulus. Changing the way that stimuli function, be they internal stimuli, like thoughts and bodily sensations, or external stimuli or events, is one of the central aims of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and is consistent with notions of changing context rather than content. In Relational Frame Theory terms, the stimulus function of the athlete has been transformed, despite nothing about the actual athlete having changed.
