The role of cognition in complex human behavior: a contextualistic perspective.

Cognitive and behavioral psychology have long debated the merits of cognitive causality in the explanation of human behavior. We argue, however, that cognitive causality must be understood in the context of the pre-analytic philosophical assumptions of the scientist, not merely as an empirical matter. Many of the issues that seemingly separate cognitive from behavioral positions cannot be answered by research. We briefly present Relational Frame Theory, which is a behavioral approach to language and cognition. RFT is not subject to the same criticisms made by Bandura of behavior analytic thinking. Finally, we describe some aspects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an example of the applied implications of this contextual analysis of cognition.