Quantitative analysis of the transfer of functions throught reorganized and established by reject control stimulus equivalence classes

• Grant number: 10/09251-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: July 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Júlio César Coelho de Rose
• Grantee: João Henrique de Almeida
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/57705-8 - Institute for the Study of Behavior, Cognition and Teaching, AP.TEM

Abstract

Interrogations concerning how abstract symbols obtain meaning remain like fascinating puzzles to comportamental and cognitive sciences. Stimuli equivalence had been considered an appropriate model to laboratorial study of symbolic behavior. Nowadays, questions about establishing and transferring of meaning had been achieved through the quantitative analysis of transfer of functions between stimuli, employing the Semantic Differential. In this project it will be fulfilled two studies with these characteristics. In the first study, it will be evaluated quantitatively the transfer of function in reorganized stimulus equivalence classes. Therefore, 45 undergraduates will be distributed in three groups and will be exposed to matching to sample procedures, aiming the establishment of three stimulus equivalence classes, each one with four stimuli. During the procedure, it will be assigned functions to the stimuli of these classes, once stimuli in set A will be facial expressions (joy, neutral and anger). In different moments for each group, the stimuli will be evaluated with the Semantic Differential. Another group of 30 undergraduates will constitute a control group, evaluating the stimuli; however they will not receive any kind of conditional discrimination training. In the second study, it will be investigated quantitatively the transfer of function in stimulus equivalence classes established with a procedure that encourages the reject control. In this study, 16 undergraduates will be exposed to a conditional discrimination training aiming the formation of two classes with four stimuli. The delayed cue and biasing procedures will be employed to encourage the reject control. Afterwards it will be paired a video tape only with A1 stimulus. At last, the stimuli will be evaluated with Semantic differential in the following manner: eight undergraduates will evaluate C set (C1 and C2) and other eight undergraduates will evaluate D set (D1 and D2). Likewise the first study, 30 undergraduates will constitute a control group, without any kind of training of conditional discriminations. So, it is expected, basically, with these studies to contribute with data concerning the transfer of functions in reorganized and reject control established stimulus equivalence classes.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREZ, WILLIAM FERREIRA; DE ALMEIDA, JOO HENRIQUE; DE ROSE, JULIO C.. Transformation of Meaning Through Relations of Sameness and Opposition. PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD, v. 65, n. 4, p. 679-689, DEC 2015. (08/57705-8, 10/09251-8)

DE ALMEIDA, JOAO H.; DE ROSE, JULIO C.. Changing the Meaningfulness of Abstract Stimuli by the Reorganization of Equivalence Classes: Effects of Delayed Matching. PSYCHOLOGICAL RECORD, v. 65, n. 3, p. 451-461, SEP 2015. (08/57705-8, 10/09251-8)