Efeitos de promessas de reforço de maior e menor magnitude sobre o seguir instruções em crianças

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the effects of justifications to follow instructions on the behavior of following instructions that produced loss of reinforcers. Twenty children aged between seven and nine were exposed to a procedure of choice modeled, and assigned to four experimental conditions that differed in the type of justification used and the phase at which it was presented. The task was to touch one of two comparison stimuli in the presence of a contextual stimulus. Were used as reinforcers tokens exchangeable for toys. In Conditions 1 and 2 were the justifications promises of reinforcement magnitude larger (buy favorite toys, if the statement was then) and in Conditions 3 and 4, were promises of reinforcement magnitude smaller (less preferred buy toys, if the statement was not followed). In Phases 1, 3 and 5, all conditions were given instructions corresponding to the contingencies of reinforcement and behavior programmed to follow them was consequenciado to earn token. In Phases 2 and 4, all conditions, no changes occurred in the contingencies of reinforcement signaled programmed, and maintenance of behavior to follow instructions was consequenciado with loss token. The results showed that all participants of the four conditions followed the instructions given in the corresponding Phases 1, 3 and 5. They also showed that 17 of the 20 participants failed to follow instructions when this behavior started producing token loss in Phases 2 and 4. The results of these 17 participants indicate that control by immediate consequences prevailed over control by presenting justifications for maintaining the following instructions. Three participants followed instructions that produced loss of token in Phases 2 and 4. These results, however, suggest that exposure to justifications containing reinforcing promises higher and lower magnitude if the next instruction is abandoned or maintained, respectively, may also contribute to keep the follow instructions even if this behavior pass to produce loss reinforcers.