Acta Comportamentalia

Adrenalectomy and 5-HT_1A receptor: a microstructural analysis of feeding behavior

El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto de la estimulación del receptor 5HT1A del núcleo paraventricular hipotalámico (PVN) sobre la ingesta de alimento y análisis microestructural en ratas adrenalectomizadas. Se utilizaron cuatro grupos de ratas (n=10), se implantó una cánula guía en el PVN y se realizó una adrenalectomía (ADX) en tres grupos, en un cuarto grupo se practicó una falsa cirugía (grupo Sham). Los sujetos experimentales (ratas) fueron asignados a uno de cuatro tratamientos: al grupo Sham se le administró solución salina, al grupo ADX se le aplicó solución salina, al grupo 8-OH-DPAT se le suministró 8-OH-DPAT (agonista 5-HT1A) y el grupo pretratado recibió el antagonista 5-HT1A WAY100635 + 8-OHDPAT. Los resultados mostraron una disminución significativa en la ingesta de carbohidratos y grasa en el grupo 8-OH-DPAT y el grupo pretratado. El efecto hipofágico no fue dependiente de la interacción con los receptores 5-HT1A. Adicionalmente el análisis conductual sugirió que el efecto hipofágico se debió al desarrollo temprano del proceso de satisfacción y a la prolongación del estado de saciedad.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of 5HT1A receptor stimulation of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on food intake and microstructural analysis in adrenalectomized rats. Four groups of rats (n = 10) were used, guide cannula was implanted into the PVN and adrenalectomy (ADX) was performed into three groups, a fourth group underwent a sham surgery (Sham group). The experimental subjects (rats) were assigned to one of four treatments: to Sham group saline was given, to group ADX saline was applied, the group 8-OH-DPAT was provided with 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT1A agonist) and the pretreated group received 5-HT1A antagonist WAY100635 + 8-OHDPAT. The results showed a significant decrease in the intake of carbohydrates and fat in the 8-OH-DPAT and pretreated groups. The hypophagic effect was not dependent on the interaction with 5-HT1A receptors. Additionally behavioral analysis suggested that the hypophagic effect was due to early development of satiation process and the prolongation of a state of satiety.

Contribution of stimulus contingency on the behavior effectiveness in the structuring of supplementary fields

El presente estudio evaluó el efecto de preexposición a contingencias entre estímulos sobre la estructuración de campos suplementarios. En una primera fase dos grupos de ratas fueron expuestos a distintos arreglos de contingencia. Para un grupo, se presentó un sonido que fue seguido consistentemente por una gota de agua (Grupo Ey-Ex), mientras que en el otro grupo el sonido y la gota de agua se presentaron de manera inconsistente (Grupo Ey/Ex). En una segunda fase los sujetos de estos grupos y de un tercero (Grupo control) fueron expuestos a un programa definido temporalmente, en el que el subciclo tD se señaló con un sonido. La ocurrencia de al menos una respuesta durante tD resultó en la entrega de una gota de agua. En todos los sujetos se observó una mayor frecuencia de respuesta durante el subciclo tD que durante el suciclo tΔ. Sin embargo, los sujetos del grupo Ey-Ex presentaron un menor número de respuestas durante el subciclo tΔ en comparación a la del resto de sujetos. Los resultados se discuten atendiendo a los criterios conceptuales y metodológicos que han sido propuestos para la identificación de las funciones psicológicas definidas por Ribes y López (1985).

The present study evaluated the effect of pre-exposure to stimulus contingency on the structuring of supplementary fields. In the first phase, two groups of rats were exposed to different contingency arrangements. For one group, a sound was followed consistently by a drop of water (Group Ey-Ex), whereas in the other group the sound and the water were unconsistently presented (Group Ey/Ex). In the second phase these two groups and a third group (Control Group) were exposed to a temporally-defined schedule, the sub-cycle tD was signaled with a sound. The occurrence of at least one response during tD resulted in the delivery of a drop of water. A high frequency of responses during sub-cycle tD was observed in all subjects. However, the subjects of Group Ey-Ex showed a lower number of responses during sub-cycle tΔ compared with the rest of the subjects. Results are discussed attending to the conceptual and methodological criteria that have been proposed to identify the psychological functions as Ribes and López (1985) defined.

Physicochemical versus linguistic properties in the acquisition and transfer of conditional discriminations by humans

Grupos de estudiantes universitarios fueron expuestos a una tarea de igualación de la muestra de segundo orden utilizando números como estímulos. Para el Grupo 1 las relaciones de igualación se basaron en operaciones aritméticas (igualdad, suma y resta), mientras para el Grupo 2 tales relaciones se basaron en la tipografía y el color de los números (identidad, semejanza en color y diferencia). Para un tercer grupo las relaciones de igualación se basaron redundantemente en operaciones aritméticas y la tipografía y el color de los números. Posteriormente, todos los participantes fueron expuestos a ensayos de prueba similares a los implementados en el entrenamiento para cada grupo, así como a ensayos utilizando figuras geométricas y las relaciones de igualación por identidad, semejanza en color y semejanza en forma. La adquisición de la discriminación condicional fue ligeramente más rápida para el Grupo 1 que para cualquiera de los otros dos grupos. En los ensayos de prueba, las ejecuciones más elevadas se observaron para el Grupo 3 y no hubo diferencias robustas entre los grupos 1 y 2. Los resultados se discuten en el contexto de la psicología interconductual.

Groups of college students were exposed to a second-order matching-to-sample task using numbers as stimuli. For Group 1, matching relations were based on arithmetic operations (equality, addition and subtraction) whereas for Group 2 such relations were based on the font and color of numbers (identity, similarity in color and difference). For a third group, matching relations were redundantly based on arithmetic operations as well as font and color of numbers. Subsequently, all participants were exposed to test trials similar to those implemented in training for each group, as well as trials using geometric stimuli and identity, color, and shape similarities as matching relations. The acquisition of the conditional discrimination was slightly faster for Group 1 than for the other two groups. In test trials, the highest performance was observed for Group 3 and there were no robust differences between groups 1 and 2. The results are discussed in the context of interbehavioral psychology.

Reactive and productive language modes, their role in nominal identification learning

Este estudio abordó el aprendizaje de identificación de objetos (aves) a partir de su nombre común. En el entrenamiento se aparearon en tiempo y espacio por tres ocasiones la imagen del ave y su nombre, donde este último se presentó bajo la modalidad auditiva o visual-textual. Adicionalmente se intentó conocer si ocurriría algún efecto facilitador en el aprendizaje de identificación nominal por la participación de los modos de lenguaje productivos, específicamente de hablar (decir en voz alta) o de escribir el nombre que se acababa de escuchar o de leer. Fueron seis condiciones de aprendizaje según los modos de lenguaje implicados para cada grupo experimental: 1) Leer en silencio); 2) Leer y hablar (leer en "voz alta"); 3) Leer y escribir; 4) Escuchar; 5) Escuchar y hablar (repetir en "voz alta"); 6) Escuchar y escribir. Los resultados experimentales mostraron que los modos reactivos escuchar y leer en silencio generaron las mejores ejecuciones de reconocimiento del objeto ante su nombre presentado en cualquier modalidad durante la prueba. La participación de los modos productivos, especialmente escribir, produjo bajos desempeños de reconocimiento. Se presenta un análisis de las contingencias de ocurrencia en cada condición experimental como un intento de explicar los resultados obtenidos.

This experiment was concerned with learning to identify objects (birds) based on their common names. The image of a bird was paired thrice along a training session with its name, which could appear in an auditory or in a visual-textual modality. Additionally, it intended to evaluate if productive language modes, speaking (saying aloud) or writing the just heard or read name, could have a facilitating effect on nominal identifica tion learning. Six learning conditions were arranged, according to language modes combinations: 1) Silent reading; 2) Reading and speaking (reading aloud); 3) Reading and writing; 4) Listening; 5) Listening and speaking (repeating aloud); 6) Listening and writing. Experimental results showed that reactive modes, listening and silent reading, generated better object recognizing performances when the name was presented in either modality during the test. The participation of productive modes, specially writing, produced poor recognizing performances. An occurrence contingencies analysis is offered for each experimental condition intending to explain the observed results.

The behavior of the university's goals: The formulation of objectives of a higher education facility by academic department chiefs and graduation course coordinators

Clareza acerca do objetivo de uma organização (a universidade, por exemplo) constitui condição facilitadora para seus integrantes apresentarem os comportamentos que produzirão os resultados expressos nessa função. Parece necessário, nesse sentido, avaliar a coerência entre a função ou objetivos da universidade e o que consta como função dessa organização em depoimentos de gestores. Para isso, foram entrevistados três chefes de departamento acadêmico e três coordenadores de curso de graduação, que indicaram sua percepção acerca do objetivo da organização universitária. As expressões de "objetivos" da universidade apresentadas pelos gestores foram classificadas nas categorias: "expressões vagas" (44,74%), "atividades da organização" (21,05%), "funções próprias da organização" (21,05%) e "declarações de intenções" (13,16%). Os resultados indicam pouca clareza acerca do objetivo da universidade, confundindo-o com atividades administrativas ou burocráticas, com ausência dos comportamentos configuradores da organização. Funções de organizações com tais características dificultam criar condições para os resultados definidores da organização serem produzidos, uma vez que há pouca visibilidade dos comportamentos constituintes da organização. Por outro lado, tais constatações possibilitam contrastar alguns dos comportamentos que podem delimitar os comportamentos definidores da função da universidade, comportamentos responsáveis pelos resultados de interesse da sociedade com os que comumente são atribuídos a esse tipo de organização social.

Clarity regarding role or social responsibility of a university organization facilitates components to present behaviors that will produce results expressed by it. It seems necessary, accordingly, assessing consistency between the function of the university (producing knowledge and making it accessible) and what is presented in expressions provided by managers. Expressions of "University Functions" were classified as "Vague Expressions" (44,74%), "Activities" (21,05%), "Eigen functions and characterizing the organization" (21,05%) and "statements of intent"(13,16%). Results indicate lack of clarity about the function, mistaking it for daily, bureaucratic activities, hardly ever displaying defining behaviors of the organization nature. Such functions difficult creating conditions for its social results to be achieved, since there is no visibility about behaviors that constitute it. Such findings enable deriving some behaviors that can outline the behaviors that define the function of the university, responsible for results that interest society and that configure its social responsibility.

Programmed learning and programming of conditions to development of behaviors: some aspects on development of an action field of psychology

A partir do surgimento das máquinas de ensinar e da instrução programada, diversos pesquisadores aperfeiçoaram o processo de ensino com base nos princípios da Análise Experimental do Comportamento. A investigação e as experiências de intervenção com ensino de comportamentos fizeram com que o próprio processo de programar condições de desenvolvimento de comportamentos se constituísse em objeto de estudo e de intervenção profissional. Isso possibilitou propor uma nova expressão para nomear esse tipo de processo. De "ensino programado", com ênfase em regras e técnicas e no produto de sua utilização, para "programação de ensino", enfatizando os processos comportamentais que produzem as condições apropriadas para processos de aprendizagem. Descobrir, caracterizar e desenvolver, neste último caso, os comportamentos de quem constrói condições de desenvolvimento de comportamentos em quaisquer condições em que seja necessário alguém ensinar outro organismo a aprender torna-se fundamental. O exame de contribuições feitas por diversos pesquisadores - vários deles brasileiros - para aperfeiçoar o conhecimento sobre programação de condições de desenvolvimento de comportamentos é um recurso importante na sistematização de comportamentos constituintes da atuação do psicólogo e do analista do comportamento para intervirem, por meio de ensino, sobre processos comportamentais em diferentes contextos, inclusive fora dos contextos de educação tradicionais.

The psychologist and behavior analyst intervention on behavioral process requires the development of a wide set of behaviors. Part of these behaviors characterizes an intervention modality that make possible those professionals capacitate others to deal with behavioral process. The programmed learning contributions that aroused from Experimental Behavior Analysis seem to provide important tools that help on planning process and execute learning process or training. Variations on procedures and teaching techniques derived from Experimental Behavior Analysis, such as personalized instructions and teaching machines, still many times confused with programmed learning, are only alternatives of teaching contingency planning for development of behaviors. Enlighten in which way occurs the process of "programming conditions to development of behaviors" seems fundamental to prevent misconceptions and problems about programmed learning, precisely because people do not easily locate or identify the core or the base of Skinner proposal: beget a teaching technology, something to able program conditions to development of behaviors and use coherently what was programmed according to findings on Experimental Behavior Analysis. From emergence of teaching machines and personalized instructions, many researchers improved the teaching process based on Experimental Behavior Analysis principles. Investigations and intervention experiences with teaching behaviors made the very process of programming conditions to development of behaviors to become a subject of study and professional intervention. It made possible to propose a new expression to name this development stage of this kind of Behavior Analysis contribution to Education. From "programmed learning" with emphasis on rules and techniques and on product of its use (the programmed material for learning) to "programming learning" emphasizing the analysis of contingences enrolled on programming the teaching process and, further to "programming of conditions to development of behaviors", highlighting the behavioral process that produce appropriated conditions to development of learning process in any context that these process require to be developed. Discover, characterize and develop, in the last case, behaviors of who built conditions to development of behaviors in any conditions where is necessary to teach other organism to learn becomes fundamental. The analysis of contributions from many researchers - many of them Brazilians - to improve the knowledge about programming conditions to development of behaviors is an important resource on systematization of behaviors that constitute psychologist and behavior analyst field of intervention, by teaching behavioral process in different action contexts, even on those not belonging to traditional education.

Group clinical intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy: Anxiety management

A Terapia de Aceitação e Compromisso (ACT) propõe a aceitação de pensamentos e sentimentos e a identificação de contingências relacionadas a eles, possibilitando mudanças de comportamento que possam alterálas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar e discutir uma experiência de intervenção clínica em grupo, baseada na ACT, para pacientes com queixa de ansiedade, realizada na Clínica-Escola de uma universidade pública. O grupo foi conduzido por duas psicólogas e registrado por três alunas do curso de Psicologia. Foram selecionados seis participantes para o grupo a partir de triagens já existentes na clínica. Após passarem por entrevistas individuais, os participantes foram convidados para a intervenção. Foram realizadas 13 sessões terapêuticas, enfocando questões como a ansiedade enquanto resposta adaptativa, a impossibilidade de controlar sentimentos e pensamentos, consequências do comportamento de esquiva experiencial, aceitação, metas e valores de vida e enfrentamento de situações. Buscou-se utilizar atividades práticas e metáforas em grande parte das sessões. A maioria dos participantes relatou passar a aceitar sentimentos e pensamentos, expor-se e enfrentar situações que anteriormente vinham evitando. O estudo tem um caráter exploratório descritivo da aplicação dos conceitos da ACT em grupo. Sugere-se que estudos controlados sejam realizados para avaliar a eficácia desde exemplo de intervenção.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) proposes acceptance of thoughts and feelings and the recongnition of contingencies that are related to them, enabling behavior changes that can also change them. The purpose of this work was to report and discuss a groupal clinical intervention experience, based on ACT, for patients with anxiety complaint, held in the school-clinic of a public university. The group was conducted by two psychologists and registered by three students of the Psychology course. Six participants were selected for the group based on the previous screenings existing in the school-clinic. After individual interviews, the participants were invited to the intervention phase. Thirteen therapeutic sessions were held, focusing on anxiety as an adaptive response, the impossibility of controlling thoughts and feelings, consequences of experiential avoidance behaviors, acceptance, goals, values-based living and coping with situations. Practical activities and metaphors were used in most sessions. Most participants reported that they have started to accept thoughts and feelings, to expose themselves and face situations that had previously been avoided. This study has a descriptive exploratory application of the ACT concepts in a group. It is suggested that controlled studies are conducted to evaluate the efficacy from such kind of intervention.

Social learning in domestic dogs: A review of studies with humans releasing cues

Os comportamentos comunicativos tendo humanos como interlocutores são essenciais para a adaptação de cães domésticos a seus ambientes. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo reunir estudos que analisaram as habilidades caninas em responder a dicas de apontar, dadas por humanos, estimulando um debate entre a Etologia e a Análise Experimental do Comportamento e apresentando possibilidades de sínteses explicativas. Como conclusão tem-se que as habilidades comunicativas observadas em cães não devem ser atribuídas unicamente a um fator herdado, fruto da domesticação da espécie, visto que a aprendizagem é um forte determinante do comportamento; nem tampouco somente ao que é aprendido ao longo da ontogenia, visto que os processos de condicionamento não são os únicos responsáveis pelas habilidades comunicativas vistas na espécie. Também se discute o papel da epigênese na facilitação da comunicação entre cães e humanos. O delineamento desses experimentos pode ser muito fortalecido caso haja uma ampliação do diálogo entre a Etologia e a Análise Experimental do Comportamento.

Communicative behavior with human interlocutor has been designated as essential to the adaptation of domestic dogs in their environments. The ability to follow human pointing in choice tasks is an example of social behavior that involves communication between dogs and humans, and is increasingly reported in the literature as a consistent phenomenon. Human beings are a relevant part of dog's social environment, a fact that is clearly explained by the evolutionary history of domestication. This study had the goal to bring together studies that analyzed dogs' ability to respond to cues given through explicit pointing by humans, stimulating a debate between Ethology and the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and presenting possibilities of explanatory synthesis. There are two tides in literature, one of which focuses on the processes of the dog's life history as determinants of communicative skills with humans (behavior-analytic approach) and an ethological approach emphasizing the process of canine domestication as independent variable. The ethological view is predominant in explaining the phenomenon mentioned above. Three articles were found that use a synthetic explanation of phylo and ontogenetic principles previously discussed in the present article, and they converge in arguing that evolution and epigenesis must have acted in order to prepare the domestic dog to respond to human communicative cues. It is concluded that social skills observed in dogs should not be solely attributed to an inherited factor, due to domestication, since learning is strong determinant of behavior; nor only to ontogeny, since conditioning process does not seem to be the only cause of communicative abilities seen in this species. It is also discussed the possible role of epigenesis in facilitating human-dog communication. The design of these experiments could strengthen with an increase of a debate between Ethology and the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.