The effect of rapid vocal word repetition in the transfer of eliciting and evocative functions in stimulus equivalence classes

• Grant number: 17/19582-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Júlio César Coelho de Rose
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Amaral Boccato
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent disorders in Western Societies and have a huge impact when the cost used for their treatment is considered. When an environmental stimulus consistently precedes an aversive event, the organism learns an avoidance response that is negatively reinforced by avoidance of aversive event. This avoidance response is one of the central points of anxiety disorder, considering a behavioral analysis. This project proposes to evaluate the effect a procedure, proven effective in clinical context, to reduce avoidance responses in an experimental analogue laboratory, Rapid Vocal Word Repetition. Twelve undergraduate students will be exposed to the conditional discrimination training for the establishment of two six-member equivalence classes. Two stimuli of one of the classes consistently precede aversive sound stimuli. An avoidance response will be taught to the participants that will allow to avoid the aversive sound. Then, the transfer avoidance function to other members of the class equivalent stimuli will be evaluated. The recording of eletrodermal activity (EDA) will also verify the transfer of the respondents elicited by aversive sounds to the other members of the class. Later, it will investigate the effectiveness of the procedure Rapid Vocal Word Repetition in reducing avoidance responses and elicited respondents to all class members. The data will indicate potentially new possibilities of intervention for anxiety disorders. (AU)