Researchers investigated how the contingent delivery of a cultural consequence on target culturants in an asymmetric iterated prisoner's dilemma game (IPDG) affected players' choices. The asymmetric IPDG creates an analogue to income disparities created by wage gaps and other cultural practices that create wealth inequalities between different members of the population and allows researchers to explore how these inequalities affect cooperation between players. Six undergraduate students divided into three dyads participated in an ABABCDCD reversal design. An asymmetric IPDG was arranged in Condition A and C such that one player received a greater number of points regardless of the second participants' selections - analogue to contingencies that produce income inequalities from wage gaps. In Condition B and D, a metacontingency was arranged such that delivery of a cultural consequence (CC; bonus points equally distributed among the dyad) was contingent on the oscillating production of target aggregate products (AP) across two consecutive cycles. When participants' coordinated responding and contacted the target AP→ CC relation, the wage gap was reduced. However, individual contingencies are in direct competition for the "wealthier" player, reducing the probability of cooperative responding. Results showed the CC selected certain oscillations between target APs resulting in a decrease of a point disparity between the players while also establishing equal points between the players during certain conditions.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Virginia Cordeiro Amorim.pdf: 2726224 bytes, checksum: 1fe97f4facc3b2d680c57bba2fb47385 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Operant behavior (either social or not) depends upon reinforcement, but it is known that not all instances produce reinforcement. Assuming that cultural consequences are analogous to operant consequences in metacontingencies selection, the purpose of the present study was to answer the following question: what are the effects of the intermittence of cultural consequences on the production of IBCs and their aggregate outcomes ? Three studies were conducted in which undergraduate students distributed in generations of three participants were exposed to a trial procedure. Three participants worked simultaneously, and each was generally called PE, PC and PD. These participants were replaced, one at a time, by successive generations. At each trial 4 numbers were presented to each participant in their own computer screen by software; the numbers were distributed in 4 columns. The task of each participant was to write in 4 columns below each number presented in the screen. Two experimental contingencies were operative: a) individual consequences points - were contingent on 4 odd sums of the numbers presented by the computer and the numbers entered by the participants individually; and b) cultural consequence bonus were contingent on the aggregate outcome (PLE ≤ PLC ≤ PLD): if the sum of the 4 numbers entered by PE was smaller or equal to the sum of the 4 numbers entered by PC, which was smaller or equal to the sum of the 4 numbers entered by PD. The contingencies for the production of individual consequences remained the same in all experiments. In Experiment 1 there were 11 participants distributed in 9 generations and it was verified the effects of the intermittency of the cultural consequence production on the production of IBCs and their aggregate outcomes , after the aggregate product was selected. It was verified that the production of IBCs and its aggregate outcomes was altered after the introduction of the intermittent schedule but this effect was transitory. There were 12 participants over 7 generations in Experiment 2. The experiment s aim was to evaluate the effects of the presentation of cultural consequence intermittently on the production of IBCs and their aggregate outcomes , after the aggregate product was selected. Results showed that the introduction of the intermittency did not immediately affect the production if IBCs and their aggregate outcomes . Experiment 3 had 12 participants and 10 generations. Its aim was to verify the effects of the intermittent production of cultural consequence on the selection of IBCs and its aggregate outcomes . Results showed, once again, that an intermittent cultural consequence is enough to select IBCs and their aggregate outcomes . In general, results showed that 1) cultural consequences produced or presented intermittently are enough to maintain IBCs and their aggregate outcomes , and 2) cultural consequences intermittently produced select IBCs and its aggregate outcomes / O comportamento operante (social ou não) é dependente do reforçamento, mas sabe-se que nem toda instância produz reforço. Uma vez que se supõe que conseqüências culturais têm função análoga à das conseqüências operantes no processo de seleção de/por metacontingências, este trabalho buscou verificar: quais os efeitos da intermitência da conseqüência cultural sobre a produção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados . Foram realizados três experimentos, nos quais universitários distribuídos em gerações de três participantes foram submetidos a um procedimento de tentativas com mudança de gerações. Trabalhavam simultaneamente três participantes designados genericamente PE, PC e PD. Estes participantes foram sendo substituídos um a um por sucessivas gerações. A cada tentativa, um programa apresentava para cada participante independentemente e simultaneamente quatro números, em quatro colunas, na tela do computador de cada um deles. A tarefa de cada participante era inserir quatro números logo abaixo dos números apresentados. Estavam em vigor duas contingências experimentais, nas quais poderiam ser produzidas: a) conseqüência individual pontos - para quatro somas ímpares entre os números apresentados pelo computador e os números inseridos pelo participante individualmente; e b) conseqüência cultural bônus - para o produto agregado PLE ≤ PLC ≤ PLD, quando as somas dos 4 números inseridos por PE era menor ou igual à soma dos 4 números inseridos por PC que eram menor ou igual à soma dos números inseridos por PD. As contingências para produção da conseqüência individual foram as mesmas em todos os experimentos. O Experimento 1 teve 11 participantes ao longo de 9 gerações e verificou os efeitos da intermitência da produção da conseqüência cultural sobre a produção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados previamente selecionados por conseqüências culturais continuamente produzidas. Verificou-se que a produção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados foi alterada após a introdução da intermitência, mas foi retomada ao longo das gerações. O Experimento 2 contou com 10 participantes ao longo de 7 gerações e avaliou os efeitos da intermitência da apresentação da conseqüência cultural sobre a produção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados previamente selecionados por conseqüências culturais continuamente produzidas. Verificou-se que introdução da intermitência não alterou de imediato a produção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados , mas nas gerações seguintes ocorreram oscilações. O Experimento 3 teve 12 participantes ao longo de 10 gerações e verificou os efeitos da intermitência da produção da conseqüência cultural sobre a seleção de CCEs e seus produtos agregados . Verificou-se que a conseqüência cultural intermitente é suficiente para selecionar CCEs e seus produtos agregados . De uma forma geral, pode-se afirmar que: 1) conseqüências culturais produzidas ou apresentadas intermitentemente são suficientes para manter CCEs e seus produtos agregados previamente selecionados por conseqüências culturais continuamente produzidas, e 2) conseqüências culturais produzidas intermitentemente selecionam CCEs e seus produtos agregados