Estudos experimentais sobre operações motivadoras condicionadas substitutas

Abstract

This work consists of three chapters. In the firt chapter, the reader will be introduced to the experimental condition where the following described experiments were performed. This condition consists of the following equipment/tools: (a) a box where multiple operant responses can be recorded continuously and completely over 24 hr per day (b) the ability to monitor and control experiments remotely and (c ) a device capable of recording in Excel spreadsheet data about the temperature and the relative humidity of the air. The chapter concludes with some suggestions for areas of research in this experimental condition could be used. In Chapter 2 describes an experiment in which a set of daily activities of the expeirmental subject was recorded 24 hr per day while it lived in the experimental conditions described in Chapter 1. The activities recorded in this experiment were: (a) number of pressures to water and food bars, (b) the number of times that the subject entered the nest, (c) number of interactions with the wooden disc and (d) number of turns in the activity wheel. The pressure responses to the bars were reinforced according to a continuous schedule of reinforcement. This experiment was approximately 91 days long. The effects from an accidental deprivation of food, the effects of the light-dark cycle, the temerature and air humidity on the activities of the subject where analysed. Furthermore, peroxides greater stability in daily activities were also discussed. Chapter 3 will describe two experiments in order to verify that sound stimuli could acquire the functions of a substitute conditioned motivating operation (OMC-S). The rat lived 24 hr a day in the experimental condition described in Chapter 1. It was believed that conducting the experiments in these conditions it would be possible to evaluate any additional effects of S-CMO, not only on pressure responses to water bar, but also on other registered activities (the same of Chapter 2). However, these additional effects could not be investigated because the sound stimuli did not acquired the functions of an S-CMO in the two experiments