Effects of reinforcement schedules on observing responses and stimuli over selectivity

• Grant number: 23/07516-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Agreement: CNPq - INCTs
• Principal Investigator: Gerson Aparecido Yukio Tomanari
• Grantee: João Lucas Bernardy Cardoso
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50909-8 - INCT 2014: Behavior, Cognition and Teaching (INCT-ECCE): relational learning and symbolic functioning, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/07401-5 - Effects of sample duration on sensitivity to reinforcement and the allocation of observing responses, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

According to Sidman (2000), the reinforcement contingency is the foundation of symbolic behavior, and any positive elements of a contingency become part of equivalence classes. The interest in this topic is justified by the possibility of experimentally analyzing complex human behavior and its application in teaching symbolic repertoires to individuals with typical or atypical development. For this reason, the topic has been the focus of much of the research conducted by the National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching (INCE-ECCE). Traditionally, teaching equivalence classes is done through the matching-to-sample procedure according to the model. However, these teaching conditions are not always sufficient for the formation of classes. Other factors, often overlooked, can modulate the effects of training contingencies to the point of compromising stimulus control and the emergence of symbolic behavior. One of these factors is stimulus control restriction, sometimes referred to as over selectivity. This is inferred from the decomposition of stimuli under test conditions. However, eye movement measurement allows for direct analysis of observational responses and stimulus control exerted by components of compound stimuli. The problem of stimulus control restriction and over selectivity invites researchers in the field of stimulus control to investigate the effects of often neglected components of training contingencies. One such aspect is the reinforcement contingency, specifically, the reinforcement schedules employed during training. Studies with pigeons indicate the effect of different reinforcement rates on the control exerted by different components of compound stimuli. Despite the central role of reinforcement in stimulus control, research on the effects of different schedules on attending behavior and over selectivity yields ambiguous results.Koegel and colleagues (1979) conducted a study with twelve autistic children exposed to discrimination training with multiple stimuli. The children were exposed to two training conditions: one using continuous reinforcement (CRF) and another using CRF, followed by 100 trials under a variable-ratio 3 (VR3) schedule. The results indicate that additional VR training significantly reduced over selectivity. These results are also consistent with the effects of increasing the number of extinction test trials (Schreibman et al., 1977).On the other hand, there are also studies indicating contrary results. For example, Reynolds and Reed (2011) conducted four experiments in which no differences were found between CRF training and intermittent reinforcement. Furthermore, over selectivity was reduced by extending the training conditions, regardless of the reinforcement schedule. The results led the authors to conclude that over selectivity may be a specific case of late stimulus control acquisition rather than an attentional problem.Given the ambiguity and relative scarcity of studies dedicated to this topic in the literature, this project aims to investigate the effects of reinforcement schedule parameters on observational responses and symbolic learning. In addition, the project planning includes active participation in ALEPP-PLH, which aims to teach Portuguese to Brazilian children residing in Japan. Therefore, a proposal for a Research Internship Scholarship Abroad (BEPE) is anticipated, with a duration of six months at a Japanese institution, aiming to contribute to the implementation and development of ALEPP-PLH, as well as expand the international collaboration network of INCT-ECCE. The BEPE is planned for the third semester of the scholarship's term, thus being conditioned to the extension of the deadline by 12 months. (AU)

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)

BENVENUTI, MARCELO FROTA; BERNARDY, JOAO LUCAS; DE TOLEDO, THAIS NOGARA; SANTIAGO, JESSICA; SIQUEIRA, JOSE DE OLIVEIRA; SILVEIRA, PAULO SERGIO PANSE. The role of schedules of reinforcement in the experimental analysis of social behavior. PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR SCIENCE, v. 47, n. 4, p. 22-pg., 2024-09-19. (23/07516-4, 14/50909-8, 23/02669-7)