Schedule-induced behavior in humans: a study of the effects of the interval schedules with different requirements for reinforcement liberation / Indução de comportamentos em humanos: um estudo dos efeitos de esquemas de intervalo com diferentes requisitos para liberação de reforços

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

This study was designed in order to test the effects of different interval schedules of reinforcement in the induction of the behavior of peanuts consumption in humans during a game in the computer. Six adults aged between 20 and 42 years served as subjects. They were submitted to 30 minute sessions. There was 15 minutes in a waiting room where 120 grams of salted peanuts was available as well as some sort of magazines. The peanuts was weighed before and after this situation in order to compare the consumption in the waiting room with that could occur in the sessions with the presence of the food stimulus in the experimental room. The last 15 minutes of the session were spent in a game in the computer with a software that consists of a game that discharges points according to the schedule of reinforcement in force. Participants were randomly assigned to VI, FI and DRL schedules, all with 60 seconds of duration. Each participant was submitted to three or four shaping sessions. After the shaping sessions, they were submitted to at least three sessions under the schedule he was assigned to and at lest three sessions with the presence of the food stimulus in the experimental room. After that each participant was submitted to at least more three sessions in another schedule, different of the first one and to at least more three sessions in this new schedule with the presence of the food stimulus. Two of the five participants submitted to the VI 60 presented the response of eating the peanuts as well as one of the four participants exposed to FI 60 and two of the three participants exposed to DRL. The intra-sessions and inter-sessions measures did not demonstrate systematically produced differences. Nevertheless, when these measures are investigated together they point to a little tendency of the DRL schedule to produce a consumption greater than that presented in the situation without the presence of the schedule. In addition, several other responses of self-handling, manipulation of objects and movement occurred in a greater or lesser number for all participants, as an effect of the different interval schedules of reinforcement that was used in the study. Again there was no systematically differences found between the different schedules used

ASSUNTO(S)

jogo no computador psicologia experimental avaliacao de comportamento induction of behavior consumo de amendoim snacks consumption comportamento humano game on the computer indução de comportamentos

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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