Insight e Reforçamento Negativo: Resolução de Problemas em Ratos Através de Contingências Aversivas

Abstract

Insightful responses occurs when an organism behaves in an original way to solve a problem through the interconnection of previously learned repertoires, without direct training. Insightful responding has been observed in several studies and species by the teaching of prerequisite skills in positive contingencies of reinforcement. Sor far, only two experiments have used aversive contingencies to produce and maintain this phenomenon (Borges, 2019; Galvis Quintana & Carvalho Neto, 2022). In both studies, rats experienced experimental conditions in which water immersion was used as aversive stimulation. To solve the problem, the rats should show spontaneous recombination by insight of two distinct repertoires (pull and dive). However, in both studies, procedural flaws biased the resolution of the problem by insight. The present study aimed to produce repertoire interconnection by adjusting the experimental design and equipment of the previous experiments. Six Wistar rats were separated into three conditions: WIT – with intermediate test (n = 2); WOT – without intermediate test (n = 2); and C – control (n = 2). From 4 rats that learned the prerequisite skills of (a) pulling a button and (b) directed diving, 3 solved the problem without direct training on the final test. 1 of the rats that solved the problem did not maintain the same performance in following test sessions. Variables that may have influenced the disparate performance of these subjects are discussed and whether the problem-solving responses observed in the experiment can be considered a insightful response.