Functional analyses (FAs) are an important component of treatment and the data gathered from FAs are often graphed in an aggregate or summary format, such as mean rate per session. Given the prevalence of undifferentiated analyses, it may be that this common method of data depiction is incomplete. In this paper, we compare the traditional aggregate method to a comprehensive second-by-second demonstration of the data including all appropriate and inappropriate responses emitted, as well as programmed and accidental antecedent and consequent variables, which may help further clarify the results of a functional analysis. We compared the functional analysis results of two participants when the data were depicted using the traditional rate aggregate method and depicted using a comprehensive second-by-second method. Although both rate and comprehensive second-by-second data depiction resulted in similar conclusions regarding the maintaining variables for the participants, comprehensive second-by-second data depiction allowed us to draw the conclusions in less time. Additional advantages and disadvantages of each method as it relates to efficiency, therapeutic risk and safety, and practicality are also discussed. Keywords: efficiency, functional analysis, problem behavior, safety, within-session second-by-second analysis.

Past research has shown that emotion affects preferential choice outcomes. The goal of the present study was to further research on emotion and preferential choice by using mathematical modeling to investigate the effects of specific dimensions of emotion on the underlying mechanisms of preferential choice. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether the concurrent effects of positive-negative valence and situational certainty on attention and information accumulation threshold, respectively, would influence the magnitude of the similarity effect, a robust phenomenon in preferential choice. Participants first underwent either an Anger (negative and certain), Fear (negative and uncertain), or no (Control) emotion manipulation. All participants then completed an apartment choice task that was designed to elicit the similarity effect. A novel framing manipulation was used to test the effects of emotional valence on attention. Both feature framing and emotion condition significantly affected choice outcomes. These results suggest differences in deliberation style between Anger and Fear participants, as well as a surprising impact of alternatives outside the choice set on choice outcomes. Future directions are discussed.

When it comes to video games, immersion is key. All types of games aim to keep the player immersed in some form or another. A common aspect of the immersive world in most role-playing games -- but not exclusive to the genre -- is the non-playable character (NPC). At their best, NPCs play an integral role to the sense of immersion the player feels by behaving in a way that feels believable and fits within the world of the game. However, due to lack of innovation in this area of video games, at their worst NPCs can jar the player out of the immersive state of flow with unnatural behavior. In an effort towards making non-playable characters (NPCs) in games smarter, more believable, and more immersive, a method based in psychological theory for controlling the behavior of NPCs was developed. Based on a behavior model similar to most modern games, our behavior model for NPCs traverses a behavior tree. A novel method was introduced using the five-factor model of personality (also known as the big-five personality traits) and the circumplex model of affect (a model of emotion) to inform the traversal of the behavior tree of NPCs. This behavior model has two main beneficial outcomes. The first is emergent gameplay, resulting in unplanned, unpredictable experiences in games which feel closer to natural behavior, leading to an increase in immersion. This can be used for complex storytelling as well by offering information about an NPC's personality to be used in the narrative of games. Secondly, the model is able to provide the emotional status of an NPC in real time. This capability allows developers to programmatically display facial and body expression, eschewing the current time-consuming approach of artist-choreographed animation. Finally, a maze simulation environment was constructed to test the results of our behavior model and procedural animation. The data collected from 100 iterations in our maze simulation environment about our behavior model found that a correlation can be observed between traits and actions, showing that emergent gameplay can be achieved by varying personality traits. Additionally, by incorporating a novel method for procedural animation based on real-time emotion data, a more realistic representation of human behavior is achieved.

Male and female emotional reactions to jealousy arousing situations were investigated. These reactions were studied with relation to subjects ' general and relationship needs. Subjects ' expressed emotions, their general needs, and their relationship needs were measured. The results indicated that: 1) Females express stronger emotions in a jealousy situation, however, the range of expressed emotions for both males and females is similar. 2) Although relationship needs correlated more strongly, than did the general needs, with the expressed emotions, R* values were not high enough to permit understanding or prediction of these emotions through relationship needs.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2017-08-10T17:58:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JOÃO LUCAS BERNARDY CARDOSO.pdf: 2200583 bytes, checksum: a3616ef60dd73db36ee45e6c5134b2b1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-10T17:58:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOÃO LUCAS BERNARDY CARDOSO.pdf: 2200583 bytes, checksum: a3616ef60dd73db36ee45e6c5134b2b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-17 / Privacy, since the therm was first used by B. F. Skinner it has been subject of theoretical content, but it received little empirical attention. Considering recent theoretical advances on the problem of privacy, namely: (1) privacy as momentary; (2) relative to an observer; (3) different from intern; and (4) measurable in a public-private continuum. We propose the empirical investigation of privacy as a function of two variables, separately analyzed in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively: the access to the controlling variables of momentary private responses, and a common history of reinforcement. In both experiments 20 participants were divided in two groups: Base Group and Referential Group, being that the dependent variable analyzed was the probability of occurrence of verbal responses of the participants of the Referential Group that corresponded to those emitted previously by the participants of the Base Group. In the Experiment 1 the participants were exposed to a set of 8 properties for each one of 6 stimuli, while the participants of the Referential Group accessed the same 6 sets of 8 properties but cumulatively in a series. The data of the Experiment 1 shows that for all participants of the Referential Group the probability of occurrence of correct answers increased as a function of the number o stimulus properties known. In the Experiment 2 the participants were exposed to three test conditions: Baseline (BL.), Post Verbs-Training Test (V.T.) and Post Noun-Training (N.T.), being that between the first and second tests (BL. - V.T.) participants were exposed to a matching-tosample task and relations between shapes and verbs were stablished, and between the second and the third testes (V.T. - N.T.) participants were exposed to similar matching-tosample task, but the relation stablished were between shapes and nouns. All participants were requested to tact the shape stimuli during the test conditions. We observed that the transfer function procedure controlled the emission of correct answers during the tests for all participants of the Group Base. For the participants of the Referential Group the procedure was partially effective. Yet, for 13 out of 16 participants, the probability of occurrence of correct answers was a function of a common history of reinforcement, being that correct answers didn’t occurred for any participant during the Baseline. We concluded that privacy, if described accordingly with some recent theoretical contributions, may be a subject of empirical investigations that could provide conditions for: (1) a better description of the controlling relations during the verbal episode; (2) the development of an empirical agenda that allow a more straightforward analysis of privacy; and (3) an objective description of the role of inference in the analysis of events that are momentarily private considering the commitment of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior with the assumptions of natural sciences. / A temática da privacidade, desde que foi inaugurada na literatura behaviorista radical por B. F. Skinner tem sido discutida a nível teórico mas foi tema de poucos trabalhos empíricos. Considerando-se os avanços teóricos recentes na área, nomeadamente: (1) a privacidade como momentânea; (2) relativa a um observador; (3) diferenciada do interno; e (4) mensurável em um continuum público-privado. Propõe-se no presente trabalho a investigação empírica da privacidade com função de duas variáveis, analisadas individualmente nos Experimentos 1 e 2, respectivamente: o acesso às variáveis controladores de respostas momentaneamente privadas, e um histórico de reforçamento em comum. Nos dois experimentos 20 participantes foram divididos em dois grupos: Grupo Base e Grupo Referencial, sendo que a variável dependente analisada foi a probabilidade de ocorrência de respostas verbais dos participantes do Grupo Referencial que correspondiam às emitidas anteriormente por participantes do Grupo Base. No Experimento 1 os participantes foram expostos a conjuntos de estímulos controladores, sendo que os participantes do Grupo Base acessaram oito propriedades de cada um de seis estímulos-palavra simultaneamente, ao passo que os participantes do Grupo Referencial acessaram as mesmas oito propriedades dos seis estímulos-palavra de forma cumulativa em uma série. Os dados do Experimento 1 mostram que, para todos os participantes do Grupo Referencial, a probabilidade de ocorrência de respostas correspondentes variou em função do número de propriedades de estímulos-palavra conhecidas, quanto mais propriedades conhecidas mais a probabilidade de ocorrência de respostas correspondentes. No Experimento 2 os participantes foram expostos a três condições de teste: Linha de Base (L.B.), Teste pós-treino de verbos (T.V.) e Teste pós treino de substantivos (T.S.), sendo que entre o primeiro e o segundo teste (L.B. - T.V.) os participantes foram expostos a um procedimento de escolha de acordo com o modelo no qual foram estabelecidas relações entre formas e verbos, e entre o segundo e o terceiro teste (T.V. - T.S.) os participantes foram expostos a um novo procedimento de escolha de acordo com o modelo no qual foram estabelecidas relações entre formas e substantivos. Foi solicitado a todos os participantes que tateassem os estímulos forma durante as condições de teste. Observou-se que o procedimento de transferência de função controlou a emissão de respostas corretas para todos os participantes do Grupo Base. Para o Grupo Referencial o procedimento de transferência de função foi parcialmente eficiente. Ainda assim, em 13 de 16 participantes a probabilidade de ocorrência de respostas corretas foi uma função de um histórico de reforçamento em comum, sendo que não houve acertos para nenhum dos participantes durante a Linha de Base. Concluiu-se neste trabalho que a privacidade, se descrita conforme determinadas proposições teóricas recentes, pode ser alvo de investigações empíricas que podem fornecer condições para: (1) a melhor descrição das relações de controle envolvidas no episódio verbal; (2) desenvolvimento de uma agenda empírica que possibilite uma análise mais objetiva da privacidade; e (3) uma descrição mais objetiva do papel das inferências na análise de eventos momentaneamente privados, considerando-se o compromisso da Análise Experimental do Comportamento com os pressupostos das ciências naturais.

Equipamentos utilizados em pesquisas em Análise Experimental do Comportamento com sujeitos não humanos tiveram uma trajetória intrincada ao próprio estudo do comportamento. Um tipo de equipamento importante nessas pesquisas é a câmara de condicionamento operante. Diversos incrementos foram feitos nessas câmaras, com estes focados no aumento do controle de variáveis independentes e no registro mais preciso de variáveis dependentes. Uma característica de equipamentos atualmente disponíveis no mercado é o seu alto custo de aquisição e a necessidade do uso de software fechado utilizado pelos mesmos. Diante disso, apresenta-se a construção e avaliação de equipamentos não comerciais de baixo custo para pesquisas operantes. Foram construídas duas câmaras de condicionamento, uma para pombos e outra para ratos. Com o objetivo de avaliar o equipamento construído, submeteram-se dois pombos e dois ratos a esquemas de reforço de razão fixa (FR) e razão variável (VR), e dois pombos e dois ratos a esquemas de reforço de intervalo fixo (FI) e intervalo variável (VI). Replicou-se a maior parte dos aspectos da literatura de esquemas de reforço simples com o equipamento apresentado, o que indica sua adequação ao uso em pesquisas de condicionamento operante como uma alternativa viável de baixo custo / Apparatuses used non-human research in experimental analysis of behavior have had a parallel trajectory to the study of behavior itself. A type of apparatus used in behavioral studies is the operant conditioning chamber. Several improvements have been done to these chambers, focusing in the control of independent variables and more precise registry of dependent variables. A feature of apparatuses available in the market is their high acquisition costs and the need of usage of closed software. In light of this, it is shown the construction and evaluation of alternative low cost apparatuses for behavioral research. Two operant conditioning chambers were built, one for usage with pigeons and the other for the usage with rats. In order to evaluate the apparatus, two pigeons and two rats were submitted to fixed ratio (FR) and variable ratio (VR) schedules of reinforcement, while another two pigeons and two rats were submitted to fixed interval (FI) and variable interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement. The majority of features related to the responding under simple schedules of reinforcement were replicated using the presented apparatus, which indicates its adequacy for the usage in behavioral research as a low cost alternative

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudia Teixeira Gadelha.pdf: 828588 bytes, checksum: c7774d0f3c96a9aa1ecd5702f66a0b23 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Human behavior is accounted by three levels of variations and selection: filogeny, ontogeny and cultural. Metacontingency is a concept that deals with cultural level phenomena. It postules, in analogy with operant behavior, that interlocking behavioral contingencies and their aggregate product are selected by its consequences. This research has been driven by the following inquiry: Will IBCs and aggregate products of different inicial probability be selected by differential magnitudes of cultural consequences?. In a multiple trials procedure, two undergraduate students would work together, on a computer task (even though each one worked on a different computer) and could interact freely. When the stability criteria was attained, one of the participants would be replaced by another. In each trial, 4 numbers would appear on each computer screen. The participants task consisted in typing in another 4 numbers. When all the sums of both numbers (given by the computer and typed by the participant) resulted in odd numbers, points were earned by the participant. During the trials, the sum of the numbers typed in by the participant would appear in a box. Different relations between the sum of the numbers typed in by each participant would lead to different consequences. Contingencies less and less probable would lead to bigger and bigger magnitude of consequences. Therefore, when: a) the sum of the numbers typed in by one participant was bigger than the sum of the other, each participant would earn 100 bonus; b) the sum of the numbers typed in by one participant was twice as large as the sum of the other participant, then each would earn 200 bonus; and c) the sum of the numbers typed in by one participant was equivalent to the other one s squared, then each would earn 300 bonus. The first experiment was composed of 14 generations. Two non-naïve participants were brought into the experimental session to make sure that all three aggregate products would occur. All three types of aggregate products were selected, one after the other. The second experiment was composed of an all-naïve 22 generations. The two first aggregate products were selected simultaneously, after 7 generations. However, variations in the main aggregate product proceded in the following generations. The results of both experiments indicated selections of/throughout metacontingencies / O comportamento humano é explicado por três níveis de variação e seleção: filogenético, ontogenético e cultural. O conceito de metacontingências diz respeito a fenômenos do nível cultural e supõe que, de maneira análoga ao comportamento operante, contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas e seus produtos agregados são selecionados por conseqüências. O problema que dirigiu o presente estudo foi se conseqüências culturais de diferentes magnitudes poderiam selecionar contingências comportamentais entrelaçadas tais que produtos agregados de diferentes complexidades e probabilidades iniciais fossem selecionados. Dois participantes interagiam entre si para trabalhavam cada um em um computador em uma mesma sala, na qual podiam interagir livremente. Os participantes eram substituídos um a um quando atendiam a critérios de estabilidade de desempenhos previamente estabelecidos. Na tela dos computadores apareciam em cada tentativa, para cada participante, 4 números. A tarefa dos participantes consistia em inserir outros 4 números. As somas dos números que se dispunham em 4 colunas (cada uma com a combinação dos números inseridos pelo computador e pelo participante) levavam à produção de pontos caso resultassem em somas impares. As somas de todos os 4 números inseridos por cada participante apareciam na tela concomitante ao inserir dos números. Diferentes relações entre as somas dos dois participantes eram consequenciadas diferencialmente. Contingências sucessivamente mais estritas levavam a conseqüências de maior magnitude. Assim, quando: a) soma dos números inseridos por um participante era maior que a soma dos números inseridos pelo outro, cada participante recebia 100 bônus; b) Se a soma dos números inseridos por um participante fosse o dobro do outro, cada participante recebia 200 bônus e; se c) a soma de um fosse o quadrado da soma do outro, cada participante recebia 300 bônus. O primeiro experimento foi conduzido com 14 gerações compostas de estudantes universitários. Dois confederados (participantes que conheciam as contingências) foram inseridos para assegurar a ocorrência dos três produtos agregados. Os três tipos de produtos agregados foram selecionados, um após o outro. O segundo experimento contou com 22 gerações de participantes, sem a inserção de confederados. Os dois primeiros produtos agregados foram selecionados simultaneamente, após 7 gerações. Entretanto, nas gerações seguintes houve variação com relação ao produto agregado predominante. Ambos os experimentos tiveram resultados que indicaram a seleção de/por metacontingências

Equipamentos utilizados em pesquisas em Análise Experimental do Comportamento com sujeitos não humanos tiveram uma trajetória intrincada ao próprio estudo do comportamento. Um tipo de equipamento importante nessas pesquisas é a câmara de condicionamento operante. Diversos incrementos foram feitos nessas câmaras, com estes focados no aumento do controle de variáveis independentes e no registro mais preciso de variáveis dependentes. Uma característica de equipamentos atualmente disponíveis no mercado é o seu alto custo de aquisição e a necessidade do uso de software fechado utilizado pelos mesmos. Diante disso, apresenta-se a construção e avaliação de equipamentos não comerciais de baixo custo para pesquisas operantes. Foram construídas duas câmaras de condicionamento, uma para pombos e outra para ratos. Com o objetivo de avaliar o equipamento construído, submeteram-se dois pombos e dois ratos a esquemas de reforço de razão fixa (FR) e razão variável (VR), e dois pombos e dois ratos a esquemas de reforço de intervalo fixo (FI) e intervalo variável (VI). Replicou-se a maior parte dos aspectos da literatura de esquemas de reforço simples com o equipamento apresentado, o que indica sua adequação ao uso em pesquisas de condicionamento operante como uma alternativa viável de baixo custo / Apparatuses used non-human research in experimental analysis of behavior have had a parallel trajectory to the study of behavior itself. A type of apparatus used in behavioral studies is the operant conditioning chamber. Several improvements have been done to these chambers, focusing in the control of independent variables and more precise registry of dependent variables. A feature of apparatuses available in the market is their high acquisition costs and the need of usage of closed software. In light of this, it is shown the construction and evaluation of alternative low cost apparatuses for behavioral research. Two operant conditioning chambers were built, one for usage with pigeons and the other for the usage with rats. In order to evaluate the apparatus, two pigeons and two rats were submitted to fixed ratio (FR) and variable ratio (VR) schedules of reinforcement, while another two pigeons and two rats were submitted to fixed interval (FI) and variable interval (VI) schedules of reinforcement. The majority of features related to the responding under simple schedules of reinforcement were replicated using the presented apparatus, which indicates its adequacy for the usage in behavioral research as a low cost alternative

This study examined the predictive validity of the WAIS in an academic setting. Traditional WAIS IQ scores and subtests of 127 male and 163 female college students were correlated with Grade Point Averages at the end of four semesters and within five academic areas. Five groups were examined including the total group, male group, female group, black group, and white group. The academic University's general and Communication of areas investigated corresponded to the education requirements; Organization Ideas, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Studies, Natural Science and Mathematics, and Physical Development. Results indicated that dictor of both semester GPA and five groups. Full Scale IQ was Verbal IQ was the best preacademic area GPA for the the second best overall indicator. Verbal IQ for blacks was a better predictor of success in college than it was for whites. Verbal abilities appeared more important for blacks than whites in terms of how well they did in school. WAIS IQ tended to best predict first semester GPA and the areas of Social and Behavioral Studies, Organization and Communication of Ideas, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Humanities and Physical Development, in that order. WAIS Verbal subtests were more efficient predictors than were the Performance subtests. The Digit Span and Arithmetic subtests of the Verbal scale and all five of the Performance subtests appeared to be of negligible value in predicting academic achievement. The highest correlations were found in the Vocabulary subtest, then Similarities and Information, and finally Comprehension. The female group had consistently higher correlation coefficients in every Performance subtest across all semesters and in each of the five academic areas.

Over the past decades, decision making under risk has garnered a great amount of attention both in the field of economics and psychology. Although state-dependent variabilities of risk taking are well-documented, little is known about the effects of a person’s preferred time of day, or chronotype, in risky decision making. Under circumstances of circadian mismatch (e.g., when an “early bird” makes decisions in the evening), research suggests that decision making may reflect a greater reliance on heuristics, such as using stereotypes in social judgments. However, the effects of circadian mismatch on heuristics in risky decision making are relatively unexplored. This paper looks into the effects of circadian mismatch on the reflection effect: a behavioral bias in financial decision making, wherein individuals are risk averse when facing potential gains, and risk seeking when facing potential losses. Participants will be randomly assigned to their circadian matched or circadian mismatched conditions and will play a series of financial gambling tasks with real monetary incentives. This study predicts that the reflection effect will be exacerbated in circadian mismatched individuals as compared to matched participants. Exploring such an effect could have real-world implications on decision making under risk by providing critical knowledge about the effects of time of day on our susceptibility to behavioral biases. It could therefore point to the existence of a more optimal time of day to engage in such critical decision making.