Relational frame theory (RFT) sees operant acquisition of various patterns of relational framing (frames) as key to linguistic and cognitive development, and it has explored the emergence of a range of psychological phenomena (e.g., analogy, perspective-taking) in these terms. One potentially important advance for RFT research is to obtain more detailed information on the normative development of relational framing in childhood. This was one of the aims of the present study, which sought to measure relational responding of various types and at various levels of complexity in young children across a range of ages. A second aim of the study was to focus in particular on analogy, or the relating of relations, as one particularly important pattern of relational responding. The present study examined a range of frames including coordination, comparison, opposition, temporality, and hierarchy at a number of different levels of complexity (nonarbitrary relating, nonarbitrary relating of relations, arbitrarily applicable relating, and arbitrarily applicable relating of relations) in young children ranging in age from 3 to 7. Performance overall as well as under various subheadings was correlated with both age and intellectual ability. Outcomes and their implications are discussed.

关系框架理论（RFT）将对关系框架（框架）的各种模式的操作性获取视为语言和认知发展的关键，并且它探索了这些心理现象（例如类比，观点采掘）的出现。 。RFT研究的一项潜在重要进展是获得有关儿童关系框架规范发展的更多详细信息。这是本研究的目的之一，该研究旨在衡量各种年龄段的幼儿的各种类型和复杂程度的关系响应。该研究的第二个目的是特别关注类比或关系的关联，这是关系响应的一种特别重要的模式。本研究研究了一系列框架，包括协调，比较，3至7岁幼儿的复杂程度（非任意关系，非任意关系，任意适用关系和任意适用关系）的对立程度，暂时性和等级结构各种小标题下的年龄和智力都相关。结果及其影响进行了讨论。