Consequências Arbitrárias: Análise de Diferentes Magnitudes em Cadeias de Respostas Públicas e Privadas.

Abstract

This study examined experientially behaviors considered mental processes by other psychological guidelines, but for Behavior Analysis, founded by the philosophy of Radical Behaviorism proposed by Skinner, are considered private verbal behaviors, as thought. To verify functional relations that artificial contingencies perform on participants performance and the relationship of these artificial contingencies with public and private pre-happenings in a mathematical task of troubleshooting. Two experiments were conducted with 6 participants in a subject design as his own control. Experiment I objected to verify functional relations of public pre-happenins and magnitude of strengthening. Experiment II aimed to verify if participants performance in a mathematical task of troubleshooting is function of artificial contingencies and the relationship of these contingencies with public and private pre-happenins during the task proposed. Results suggested that magnitudes of strengthening defined as points do not interfere in participants performance on solving mathematical equations with unknowns (private behavior), natural reinforcement seems to have controlled participants behavior in this type of task resolution.