Efeitos de Concorrência na Seleção de Respostas Operantes de Autocontrole Ético e Culturantes Autocontrolados

Abstract

Metacontingencies describe a functional relationship between culturants and cultural consequences. Analogous to self-control at the operant level, at the cultural level self-controlled culturants can produce delayed and larger cultural consequences, competing with impulsive culturants who produce immediate and less magnitud cultural consequences. The present thesis included two experimental studies that sought to investigate the effects of competing cultural contingencies on the selection of operational responses of ethical self-control and selfcontrolled culturants. Study 1 tested the effects of competing cultural contingencies on the selection of self-controlled culturants. The study consisted of six microcultures (MC1 to MC6) with three participants each (N=18). The experimental task consisted of choosing lines numbered from 1 to 10 and colored (red, blue, yellow, green and purple) in a figure. The experimental design was ABCABC (MC1 to MC4) and BACBAC (MC5 and MC6). As an individual consequence, odd or even individual choices produced 1 token for each choice during the experiment. In Condition A Cult 1 (green + yellow + any other color color combinations) produced collective tokens for the group, while in Condition B, Cult 2 (red + blue + any other color color combinations) produced school items for donation. In Condition C (competition), members could produce collective tokens for the group or school items for donation. Impulsive Culturant competed with Self-Controlled Culturant. The results showed under the conditions of competition (C): a) consistent selection of self-controlled culturents; b) alternation in the occurrence of impulsive and self-controlled culturents throughout a condition. The performance of the group can be differentially affected depending on who accesses the cultural consequences produced. Study 2 investigated the effects of different levels of concurrency (ethical selfcontrol, cultural self-control, and ethical-cultural self-control) on the selection of operants responses of ethical self-control and self-controlled culturants. The study consisted of six microcultures (MC1 to MC6) with three participants each (N=18). The experimental task was the same as in Study 1. The experimental design was ABCDABCD (MC1 to MC4) and ACBDACBD (MC5 and MC6). In Condition A (baseline) there was no concurrency manipulation. In Condition B (ethical self-control) competition was at the operant level, while in Condition C (cultural self-control) at the cultural level (Impulsive Cult versus Self-Controlled Cult). In Condition D (ethical and cultural self-control), concurrency was at the operant level (odd choices vs. even choices) + cultural level (Impulsive Cult vs. Self-Controlled Cult).The results of Study 2 showed that: a) Cult 2/Cult Self-controlled occurred in higher percentages than Cult 1/Cult Impulsive in conditions without competition between the operant and cultural levels (A and C); b) In conditions B and D, was observed consistent selection of ethical selfcontrol and self-controlled culturants (MC1, MC5 and MC6) and oscillation in the occurrence of ethical self-control responses and self controlled culturers (MC2, MC3 and MC4). It is hoped that Studies 1 and 2 will offer possible advances in the understanding of variables that can act in the selection of operants responses of ethical self-control and self-controlled culturants.