Reforçamento negativo em microculturas de laboratório

Abstract

The experimental analysis of culture has investigated analogs of ontogenetic behavioral processes at the cultural level as one of its fronts of investigation. The present work had the objective of evaluating the effects of the use of negative reinforcement on interlocking behavioral contingencies (IBCs) in laboratory microcultures. Two studies were conducted, the first with the goal of analyzing the effects of negative reinforcement in an operant level on the selection of IBCs and their aggregate product (AP) and on the occurrence of task abandonment; the second had the goal of verifying the effects of an analog of negative reinforcement in cultural level on the selection of IBCs+AP and on the occurrence of task abandonment. 39 undergraduate students took part of Study 1 and 41 in Study 2. The task consisted in selecting rows in a 10x10 matrix with numbered rows and columns represented by letters. The operant response was the choice of a row, with points exchangeable for money as reinforcers. The target IBC+AP consisted of different colored rows chosen by all three participants, with the first participant´s choice being different from the one he/she chose in the previous cycle. School items were used as cultural consequences (CC). Each 20 cycles indicated a generation change (entrance of a new participant). After 15 cycles of a generation (20 cycle period) asked the oldest participant if he/she wanted to abandon the task. If affirmative, he/she was allowed to leave, leaving two participants until a new generation began. Each studied used two microcultures: Microculture 1 (MC1) and Microculture 2 (MC2). In Study 1, MC1 was exposed to the following experimental conditions: SR+I/SR-I/SR+II/SR-II; and MC2 to the following: SR-I/SR+I/SR-II/SR+II. SR+ condition consisted of positive reinforcement and SR- of negative reinforcement, both at an operant level. In Study 2 the design was CC+I/CC-I/CC+II/CC-II for MC1 and CCI/CC+I/CC-II/CC+II for MC2. CC+ was a cultural analog of positive reinforcement and CC- of negative reinforcement. In Sutdy 1 the use of negative reinforcement in and operant level apparently did not affect the selection of IBCs+AP and task abandonment did not seem to occur due to the programmed contingencies. In Study 2 negative reinforcing cultural consequences seemed to select the IBCs and there were few abandonment, independently of the experimental condition, suggesting control by variables not programmed. Changes in procedures are suggested for better control of the variables.