 A selection function for a belief set \(K\) should, for all sentences \(p\), select those elements of \(K\bot p\) that are “best”, or most worth retaining. However, the definition of a selection function is very general, and allows for quite disorderly selection patterns. An orderly selection function should always choose the best element(s) of the remainder set according to some well-behaved preference relation. A selection function \(\gamma\) for a belief set \(K\) is relational if and only if there is a binary relation \(\mathbf{R}\) such that for all sentences \(p\), if \(K\bot p\) is non-empty, then \(\gamma(K\bot p) = \{B \in K\bot p \mid C\mathbf{R}B\) for all \(C \in K\bot p\}\). Furthermore, if \(\mathbf{R}\) is transitive (i.e., it satisfies: If \(A\mathbf{R}B\) and \(B\mathbf{R}C\), then \(A\mathbf{R}C)\), then \(\gamma\) and the partial meet contraction that it gives rise to are transitively relational.