Correspondência entre Classes de Operantes: Uma Questão de Procedimento

Abstract

The relations between verbal and non-verbal operant classes have been studied by a field called say-do; do-say correspondence . The present study had the following aims: (1) to verify if successive manipulations of reinforcers and punishments contingent on dependent and independent operants (say/do classes), influence each other; (2) to verify if the effects of the application of reinforcers and punishment on independent operant classes (say/do classes) and (3) to verify if reinforcing and punishing dependent operant classes (say/do classes), correspondence between these operant classes occurs. To realize this study three experiments were done. In experiment I eight university students participated. All of them were exposed to five experimental phases. The results of experiment I showed that contingencies of reinforcement were effective to promoting correspondence between independent operant classes for six of the eight participants. The two other participants did not show correspondence in all phases. In experiment II nine university students participated, being exposed to three experimental phases. The results showed that the contingencies of reinforcement and punishment during phase 2 were effective in promoting correspondence between dependent operant classes. In this experiment two variables were manipulated at the same time. To solve this problem experiment III was outlined. In experiment III, eight university students participated, being exposes to three experimental phases. The results showed that the contingencies of reinforcement and punishment during phase 2 were effective in promoting correspondence between independent operant classes. Experiment III was outlined to identify what variable controlled the behavior of the participants. The results showed that the controlling variable was the relation of functional dependence. Together, these experiments made it possible to verify that correspondence is a phenomenon that can be established through contingency procedures, or, when dependency contingencies between operant classes are organized, the probability of correspondence between saying and doing to occur.