Sucessivas reversões de discriminações simples e a formação de classes funcionais em bebês

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the formation of functional classes of stimuli in infants (children under 3 years old) by means of the training of repeated reversals of simple discrimination (RRDS). Four boxes with discriminative stimulus function were used, divided into two subgroups: A1/B1 and A2/B2. The trainings occurred in two phases. In Phase 1, the training of RRDS involved the presentation of two boxes in each session until the four boxes had functioned one time as positive stimulus (S+) and another one as negative stimulus (S-). Phase 2 simultaneously used the four boxes presented in the session: initially, two boxes had S+ function and another two Sfunction. Responses to the stimuli assigned as S+ were reinforced with toys available in the boxes. Reversals in stimuli’s function were carried out until that the infant’s response were correct from the first trials of a session. All participants learned the task of RRDS with two stimuli. As the training with the four boxes (Phase 2) took place, none of the three participants reached the learning criterion to carry out the test of functional class formation. It has been discussed variables that favor the maintenance of infants in the experimental environment and those variables that can facilitate and/or make it difficult the learning of a task.