At this moment in history representatives of our government are focusing on what can be done to reduce crime, and some members of the judiciary have been asking for a consideration of research on categories of specific behavior that "criminals'' emit in an attempt to channel these persons emitting such behaviors into treatment centers. The relationship between criminality and specific criminal personality typing has thus far eluded any Procrustean approach of traditional models, and psychological and psychiatric contributions to the science of criminology are being amalgated with ideas from other disciplines. Socio-psychological models for analyzing the deviances of criminality provide an interdisciplinary approach. (Coffman, 1969). The plan of this study was guided by the relatively specific set of theories and studies which point to an analysis of verbal behavior as an extremely good indicator of the personality of the dividual and the variables which might influence his behavioral responses . The objective of this study was to examine the verbal behavior of criminal defendants in the courtroom under two types of interrogation procedures - that of his own attorney under direct examination and under cross examination by the prosecutor. Specifically, to investigate the behavior of the defendant indicative of the ability to cope with natural occurring stress factors. The subjects were 72 male criminal defendants brought to trial under criminal indictments for felonies. Twenty frour of the 72 defendant subjects were indicted for larceny (12 white, 12 black); twenty four were indicted for robbery (12 white, 12 black); and twenty four for murder (12 white and 12 black). The transcript of the testimony of the defendant during direct examination by the defense attorney and the testimony of the defendant during cross examination by the prosecutor following the sequential ordering of question-answer pairs across both types of testimony was used for the analysis. Within each transcript the line count method was utilized. This research involved three independent variables: race (black, white), seriousness of crime on a continuum of larceny, robbery and murder, and type of examination (direct versus cross). The results indicated the following: 1. The defendants manifested significant differences in their verbal behavior on cross examination. 2. Between blacks and whites, no significant differences were found in their courtroom verbal behavior. 3. An analysis of the significant interaction of seriousness of crime and type of examination revealed that the degree to which the effect of the seriouness of the crime had substantial effect depended on whether the defendant was being interrogated by his own attorney or the prosecutor and was significant for the more serious crimes of robbery and murder. 4. Differences in verbal behavior of the defense attorney and the prosecutor were significant on the race variable. Both attorneys exhibited longer interrogation utterances when examining white defendants. 5. Differences in the ratio of attorney/subject exchanges revealed a decrease on the ratio of cross examination versus direct examination. An analysis of the significant interaction between seriousness of crime and cross examination by the prosecutor was operative at the levels of robbery and murder but no significant difference in the ratio of exchanges between interrogation by the defendant’s own lawyer and the prosecutor at the level of the less serious crime of larceny. This study has provided experimental evidence that non content verbal behavior provides an indices of stress (assuming that cross examination of the defendant by the State prosecutor is stressful). It offers support to the studies presenting evidence that the individual’s coping response in terms of verbal behavior is a decrease in utterance length. It questions the motivational aspects of attorneys who interrogate black and white defendants differentially. It offers evidence that a defendant's verbal behavior is affected by the degree of the seriousness of the crime with which he is charged particularly when he is confronted with the potential danger and threat to this well being personified by the Prosecutor for the State under cross examination. It strongly suggests that the more immediate and the extent of the degree of potential harm or threat to the defendant, the more stress he experiences. / Ph. D.

Recombinative generalization is a generative outcome that involves responding to novel stimulus combinations, and it can be facilitated through an instructional approach called matrix training. A learner's history with constituent stimuli and the arrangement of combination stimuli within the instructional matrix may affect the likelihood of recombinative generalization. To investigate this further, the current project assessed recombinative generalization with novel combinations of abstract stimuli by programming specific training histories for undergraduate student participants. The matrix training conditions were: (a) trained constituents with overlap training, (b) untrained constituents with overlap training, (c) trained constituents with nonoverlap training, and (d) untrained constituents with nonoverlap training. We evaluated whether and the extent to which recombinative generalization occurred in each matrix training condition in comparison to a condition that included training the constituents and providing a word-order rule. Finally, we compared the training trials in experimental conditions to directly training all constituents and combinations. The results suggested both overlap conditions and the trained constituents with nonoverlap condition produced recombinative generalization, and the trained constituents with nonoverlap condition was the most efficient. These results could inform the training order and stimulus arrangements practitioners employ to program for recombinative generalization.

Despite the growing recognition of the importance of compassionate, collaborative, and culturally responsive care in behavior analysis, the training programs to develop relevant skills are meager. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Skilled Dialogue training for behavior analysts in improving the use of six strategies–welcoming, allowing, sense-making, appreciating, joining, harmonizing–when engaging in conversations with clients, colleagues and other professionals. While one participant's verbal responses in all six strategies during the role plays improved after the training, the other participant showed mixed results. High variability in both participants' data suggests that the effectiveness of the training can be better evaluated with tighter control of the components of the training and the measurement system. The potential ways to improve the experimental control in future studies are discussed.

The present study investigated how engaging in a behavior that is potentially incompatible with covert verbal behavior, singing aloud, affected the percent of correct responses and reaction time during equivalence tests as compared to engaging in a behavior considered compatible with covert verbal behavior, alternating foot tapping, during testing. Results varied between participants with some participants showing higher accuracies in the incompatible condition and some in the compatible condition. Performance in terms of accuracy and reaction time were correlated, with higher accuracies in the compatible condition being correlated with faster reaction times in the compatible condition. Limitations discussed include a low number of participants due to COVID-19, the covert nature of the behavior of interest, the length of time required to complete the experiment, and the challenges to monitoring the incompatible behavior due to social distancing requirements. Potential future research is discussed in light of these limitations.

Previous research has incorporated instructive feedback (IF) within mastered listener-by-name trials with two children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants in a previous study acquired the secondary targets and also demonstrated emergent responding (i.e., listener-by-feature, tact-by-feature, intraverbal, and reverse intraverbal). The current study replicated a previous study on IF with two children with ASD. Therapists conducted a series of three sessions of mastered listener-by-name trials (e.g., "Show me otter," and the participant selecting the picture of the otter) and provided IF statements for features of the target stimuli (e.g., "It lives in rivers."). We measured participants' echoic responding and required attending to the target stimulus during IF trials, and we evaluated acquisition of secondary targets and emergent responses using a concurrent multiple probe design across sets. We observed increased correct responding for secondary targets and emergent responses for the first set of stimuli with both participants. However, one participant did not engage in emergent responses for the two remaining sets. Results suggest that related verbal operant response relations of secondary targets may result after IF, but the extent of emergence may be idiosyncratic.

Mand training is a very logical and natural procedure to begin teaching communication skills to individuals with autism. Existing research has documented strategies for teaching children with autism to mand for preferred items, although there are fewer high quality studies on teaching children to mand for other people to perform an action. In addition to improving the general mand repertoire, teaching children to mand for others to perform an action is important because it allows children with autism to communicate ways in which another person could improve their environment by performing a simple action. The purpose of this study was to document a functional relation between mand training and acquisition and generalization of unprompted mands for another person to perform an action. Using a multiple-baseline design across participants, four children with autism were taught to mand for an adult to perform a variety of actions (e.g., to open a container so the child could obtain a preferred item). Results showed that the intervention produced an increase in unprompted mands for actions for all participants. Additionally, all participants demonstrated unprompted mands at or above mastery criteria during all generalization sessions in a different setting and different interventionist. The magnitude of effect was also large for all participants. This study extends the research on mand training by demonstrating a procedure that can be used to teach children with autism specific mands for actions. Additionally, this study will contribute to a body of strong and adequate studies that will eventually lead to mand training being considered an evidence-based practice.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:21:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Aparecida Martins Santana.pdf: 715038 bytes, checksum: 9fd17994c9761482a97629d5a7b728fa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-29 / The objective of this study was to investigate the verbal behavior of a person diagnosed as a chronic schizophrenic, in a mental health unit, using the principles of behavior analysis. The participant was a person male, 24 years old, single, with level of education fundamental incomplete, with low socio-economic level, retired on disability, with a history of hospitalizations in various institutions specialized in psychiatric treatment. The participant was continuous use high doses of psychiatric medication since the 19-year-old, when was the first psychotic outbreak. All the sessions were recorded on video and transcribed in full, which allowed the verbal behavior analysis of the participant and their categorization into words appropriate and inappropriate. For the control of the procedures were used two experimental design. In the design of elements multiple the verbal behavior of the participant were exposed to four differents conditions: attention (comment standardized contingent to inadequate talk), alone (the participant was in the room experimental alone), attention-no-contingent (of 30 in 30 seconds the researcher read a sentence from a list) and demand (the participant was led to perform an activity), these conditions were replicated in an reverse sequence. Subsequently, the reversion design of type ABAB, followed by follow-up was implemented. The design was started with the collection of data from the baseline I, followed for phase of intervention I, this sequence was repeated (baseline II e intervention II), and concludes with sessions of follow-up. In intervention was used differential reinforcing of alternative behavior (DRA), being made available reinforcing social for the adequate talk and extinction for the inadequate talk. The results demonstrated that the social environment strongly influenced the verbal behavior of the participant and demonstrated that the procedures of the applied behavior analysis were effective to reduce the frequency of inadequate verbal behavior and increase the frequency of verbal behaviors considered adequate. The results were discussed in terms of the methodology applied, of the behavioral principles, the effects achieved and the corroboration of the data with the literature. These studies indicate that the behavioral changes submitted by the participant were relevant. / O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de investigar o comportamento verbal de uma pessoa diagnosticada como esquizofrênica crônica, em uma unidade de saúde mental, utilizando-se dos princípios da análise do comportamento. O participante era uma pessoa do sexo masculino, com 24 anos, solteira, escolaridade fundamental incompleto, nível sócio-econômico baixo, aposentada por invalidez e com um histórico de internações em várias instituições especializadas para tratamentos psiquiátricos. O participante fazia uso contínuo de altas doses de medicação psiquiátrica desde os 19 anos de idade, quando teve o primeiro surto psicótico . Todas as sessões foram registradas em vídeo e transcritas na íntegra, o que possibilitou a análise do comportamento verbal do participante e sua categorização em falas adequadas e inadequadas. Para o controle dos procedimentos foram utilizados dois delineamentos experimentais. No delineamento de múltiplos elementos os comportamentos verbais do participante foram expostos a quatro condições distintas: atenção (comentário padronizado contingente a fala inadequada), sozinho (o participante ficava desacompanhado na sala experimental), comentário-não-contingente (de 30 em 30 segundos a pesquisadora lia uma frase de uma lista) e demanda (o participante era conduzido a executar uma atividade), estas condições foram reaplicadas numa seqüência inversa. Posteriormente, o delineamento de reversão do tipo ABAB, seguido por follow-up foi aplicado. O delineamento foi iniciado com a coleta de dados de linha de base I, seguida pela fase de intervenção I; esta seqüência foi repetida (linha de base II e intervenção II), sendo encerrado com sessões de follow-up. Nas intervenções foi utilizado reforçamento diferencial de respostas alternativas (DRA), sendo disponibilizado reforço social para as falas adequadas e retirada da atenção social para as falas inadequadas. Os resultados demonstraram que o ambiente social influenciou fortemente o comportamento verbal do participante e demonstrou que os procedimentos da análise do comportamento aplicada foram efetivos para diminuir a freqüência do comportamento verbal inadequado e aumentar a freqüência dos comportamentos verbais considerados adequados. Os resultados foram discutidos em termos da metodologia aplicada, dos princípios comportamentais, dos efeitos alcançados e da corroboração dos dados com os da literatura. Pode-se afirmar com este estudo que as modificações comportamentais apresentadas pelo participante foram relevantes.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:21:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Regina de Oliveira.pdf: 233420 bytes, checksum: 01118a5386ee3d15f5fd46bf2c35ef85 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-10-11 / The purpose of this study was to identify the possible functional categories of smoking patients verbal reports about their difficulties in quitting smoking in an ambulatory context. It was also identified the functional categories of the doctor s role in supplying necessary information to the patient on damages made by the use of cigarettes. For such, it was adopted a descriptive methodology through direct observation of behaviors registered in video to identify possible behavior categories at the moment of the doctor appointment. Three doctors and nine patients from a private hospital ambulatory had participated in this study, being three patients of each participant doctor. The appointments were registered in video and were properly authorized to be used by the patients and doctors. The sessions were transcribed after recorded. After a careful study on these transcriptions, it was initiated the identification of verbal and non verbal categories of smoking patients on smoking behavior, as well as verbal categories of doctor s performance in relation to such patients. Seven categories of patient s verbal actions and eighteen of non-verbal actions were selected. It was also selected five categories referring to doctor s verbal actions. Later on some categories were divided in subcategories. The results had indicated a high frequency in the speech of smoking patients indicating symptoms and illnesses, amongst others. Also, the results had demonstrated that smoking patients reported to doctors their negative emotional situation as a reason to continue making use of tobacco. The data still show that doctors practically do not inform patients about anti-smoking treatments, and they do not encourage them to abandon the addiction. These data was discussed on the extreme importance of doctors role on informing, advising, or encouraging their patients about anti-smoking treatments, since these actions can contribute to improve health and quality of life for many people. Although it is likely that the majority of patients wants to quit smoking, but is not able to, as it was demonstrated in this study. / O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar as possíveis categorias funcionais dos relatos verbais dos pacientes tabagistas sobre suas dificuldades em abandonar o uso do cigarro em um contexto ambulatorial. Procurou-se também identificar as categorias funcionais da atuação do médico no sentido de fornecer as informações necessárias ao paciente sobre os malefícios do cigarro. Para tal optou-se por uma metodologia descritiva através da observação direta de comportamentos registrados em vídeo para identificar as possíveis categorias comportamentais presentes no momento da consulta médica. Participaram deste estudo três médicos e nove pacientes provenientes do ambulatório de um hospital particular, sendo três pacientes de cada médico participante. As consultas foram registradas em vídeo, após autorização por escrito, dos médicos e pacientes participantes. Após a obtenção do registro em vídeo, todas as sessões foram transcritas. De posse das transcrições e após várias leituras destas, procedeu-se a identificação das categorias verbais e nãoverbais dos pacientes tabagistas sobre o comportamento de fumar, bem como as categorias verbais referentes à atuação dos médicos em relação a tais pacientes. Foram selecionadas sete categorias em relação às ações verbais e 18 das ações nãoverbais dos pacientes, também cinco categorias referentes às ações verbais dos médicos. Posteriormente algumas categorias foram divididas em subcategorias. Os resultados indicaram uma alta freqüência de falas dos pacientes tabagistas indicativas de sintomas e doenças, dentre outras. Os resultados demonstraram que os pacientes tabagistas relataram aos médicos seus estados emocionais negativos como justificativa para continuar fazendo uso do tabaco. Os dados mostram ainda que os médicos praticamente não informaram aos pacientes sobre tratamentos antitabagismo, bem como não os incentivaram a abandonar o vício. Os dados foram discutidos em relação à extrema importância da atuação médica no sentido de informar, aconselhar ou incentivar seus pacientes sobre tratamentos antitabagismo, sendo que estas ações poderão contribuir no sentido de melhorar a saúde e a qualidade de vida de muitas pessoas. Contudo é previsível que a maioria dos pacientes quer abandonar o cigarro, mas não consegue como demonstrou os dados do presente estudo.

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.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 bianca.pdf: 2001701 bytes, checksum: 3ab6ca738e00c898230a8151b23eeb92 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-05-18 / This study was a replication of two studies: Simonassi, Tourinho and Silva (2001), and Alves (2003). Its aim was to investigate the influences that non-verbal behavior can have over verbal behavior and vice-versa. 25 subjects were divided into 5 groups. They were asked to perform three different tasks: 1) matching to sample exercise; 2) answer YES or NO to the question Do you know how to solve this task? and 3) describe how they were doing to solve the matching to sample task. The matching to sample exercises that were followed by the question Do you know how to solve this task? occurred in 40 trials for all participants. The differences among the groups consisted on the moment when they were asked to describe the contingency: group GR all all trials; group GR 10 from the tenth trial on; group GR20 on the tenth trial and from the twentieth on; group GR30 on the tenth, twentieth and from the thirtieth trial on; and group GR40 asked to describe the contingency only in trials number 10, 20, 30 and 40. The results were analyzed in terms of the following objectives: 1) analyze the moment (measured by the number of trials) in which the description of the contingency takes place; 2) if correct answers to the matching to sample increase the frequency before the description of the contingency; 3) what happens to the frequency of emission of correct matching to sample answers to subjects who did not describe the contingency; 4) analyze step-by-step the descriptions of the contingency to see if there is fragmentary description; and 5) to check if the answer Yes or No to the question Do you know how to solve this task? can influence the precision of the description and the moment in which the correct descriptions are emitted. The results showed that the correct matching to sample answers happened independently of corrected verbal descriptions about the contingency. The correct descriptions of the contingency, like the Yes responses that occurred before the correct descriptions were related to the correct matching to sample responses, not only to the amount of correct answers but related to the regularity of these answers. The results demonstrated that the groups in which the subjects showed more regularity on correct matching to sample, groups GR 30 e GR 40 were the groups in which subjects described with higher frequency the correct contingency. Moreover, the subjects that presented regularity in correct matching to sample earlier than others, started to describe the contingency before. For some subjects, the number of opportunities to describe the contingency seems to have contributed for a correct elaboration of the contingency, from the comparison of the published described contingency and the consequences Correct and Incorrect programmed for the matching task. The results presented by the subjects of the groups GR all and GR 10 and for some subjects from the groups GR 20 , GR 30 and GR 40 , that emitted incorrect and fragmented descriptions before the correct descriptions, corroborate this hypothesis. On the other hand, the results showed that the groups in which the contingency solicitation occurred less often, groups GR 30 and GR 40 were the groups that a higher number of subjects described the contingency correctly. Probably, a programmed contingency that asked all the subjects the information response YES or NO for the question about the solution of the exercise may have collaborated in a elaboration of the contingency in a covert way. From the results of some subjects of the groups GR 20 , GR30 and GR40 that described correctly the contingency in the first available opportunity, it was possible to infer that the correct description of the contingency had already been elaborated even before the first published description response / O presente estudo foi uma replicação dos estudos de Simonassi, Tourinho e Silva (2001) e Alves (2003) com o objetivo de investigar a influência que o comportamento não verbal pode exercer no comportamento verbal e vice e versa. Para tanto, 25 sujeitos humanos, divididos em cinco grupos, foram solicitados a realizar três tarefas distintas: a um exercício de emparelhamento da figura comparação com a figura modelo, a responder SIM ou NÃO para a indagação se sabia a solução do exercício, além de serem solicitados para descreverem como estavam fazendo para resolver o exercício. As tarefas de emparelhamento seguidas da indagação sobre a solução do exercício, ocorreram em 40 tentativas para todos os participantes divididos nos cinco grupos. O que diferenciou um grupo do outro foi o momento da solicitação da descrição da contingência: grupo GR todas em todas as tentativas, grupo GR 10 a partir da décima tentativa, grupo GR 20 nas tentativas 10 e a partir da vigésima, grupo GR 30 nas tentativas 10, 20 e a partir da tentativa 30 e por fim, o grupo GR 40 , que foi solicitado a descrever a contingência por 4 vezes, nas tentativas 10, 20, 30 e 40. Os resultados foram analisados de acordo com os seguintes objetivos propostos: (1) analisar o momento (medido pelo número de tentativas) em que ocorre a descrição da contingência; (2) se as respostas certas de emparelhamento da figura comparação com a figura modelo aumentam de freqüência antes da descrição da contingência; (3) o que acontece com a freqüência de acertos nas respostas de emparelhamento dos participantes que não descreveram a contingência; (4) analisar a descrição da contingência passo a-passo, se ocorre descrições fragmentadas e (5) verificar se a solicitação da resposta SIM ou NÃO para a indagação sobre a solução do exercício, pode interferir na precisão da descrição da contingência e no momento em que as descrições corretas são feitas. Os resultados mostraram que os acertos na tarefa de emparelhamento ocorreram independentemente dos participantes saberem descrever a contingência, já que foi possível observar que os participantes que vieram a descrever a contingência, iniciaram antes disso regularidade de acertos na resposta de emparelhamento, além de alguns participantes resolverem o problema, mas não descreverem a contingência. As descrições corretas da contingência, assim como as respostas SIM que anteciparam descrições corretas, estiveram relacionadas aos acertos na tarefa de emparelhamento, não somente ao número de acertos, mas relacionadas à regularidade de emparelhamentos corretos. Os resultados mostraram que os grupos nos quais os participantes mais apresentaram regularidade de emparelhamentos corretos, grupos GR 30 e GR 40 , foram os grupos nos quais os participantes por mais vezes descreveram corretamente a contingência, além disso, os participantes que apresentaram regularidade de emparelhamentos corretos mais cedo do que outros, vieram a descrever a contingência antes. Para alguns participantes, o número de oportunidade de descrição da contingência parece ter contribuído para uma elaboração da descrição correta a partir da comparação entre a descrição da contingência publicizada e as conseqüências Certo e Errado programadas para a tarefa de emparelhamento. Os resultados apresentados pelos participantes dos grupos GR todas e GR 10 e por alguns participantes dos grupos GR 20 , GR 30 e GR 40 , que antes de emitirem descrições corretas da contingência emitiram descrições incorretas ou descrições fragmentadas , suportam essa hipótese. Por outro lado, os resultados mostraram que os grupos nos quais a solicitação da contingência ocorreu menos vezes, ou seja, foi mais espaçada, grupos GR 30 e GR 40 , foram os grupos nos quais um número maior de participantes veio a descrever corretamente a contingência. Possivelmente, a contingência programada, que solicitava a todos os participantes a resposta de informação SIM ou NÃO para a indagação sobre a solução do exercício, pode ter sido capaz de promover uma elaboração da descrição da contingência em um nível encoberto. A partir dos resultados de alguns participantes dos grupos GR 20 , GR 30 e GR 40 , que descreveram corretamente a contingência na primeira oportunidade que tiveram para tal, foi possível inferir que a descrição correta da contingência já havia sido elaborada antes mesmo da primeira resposta de descrição publicizada