Autocontrole, impulsividade e desconto em interações sociais na adolescência

Abstract

Sixteen adolescents from a public school participated in the research with the objectives of analyzing relations between social skills and impulsivity, as well as how the adolescents subjectively discount the value of delayed social interactions for different social distances. Four assessment instruments were used: the Barratt 11 instrument to measure impulsivity as a trait variable; the Inventory of Social Skills for Adolescents (IHSA); a protocol for delayed social interactions. The protocol used seven delays, ranging from one day to one year, and seven social distances, from the 1st to the 100th most known person. It was found significative negative correlations among Barratt 11 and IHSA in two analyses and one significative positive correlation out 28 performed. The discount curves for delayed social interactions were systematic for most participants in interactions with the 1st and 2nd position. From 33 systematic data, the hyperbola fitted the data in 17 analyses, and the exponential, fitted 10 curves. The data suggest that possible relations between impulsivity and social skills are specific. However, probably the differing conceptions about theses process may have restricted the comparisons. Regarding the social interactions discounting, due to have been found systematic data for the inicial positions, it can be suggested that the delay of social interactions may involve more complex aspects than those investigated in the discounting task, as well some methodological features may have interfered with the data