A análise do comportamento em grupos de pesquisa: uma perspective histórica

Abstract

Research groups (according to CNPq`s proposal) are one more opportunity for behavior analysts to meet for debate and development of researches. To know and approach these groups in historical perspective is a form of knowing as researchers of the field have been using this opportunity and thinking of better possibilities to make use them. This research intends to contribute for the scientific progress of the field, because, different from other opportunities propitiated by the scientific community, research group as permanent and continuous grouping is opportunity of formal and informal communication that would allow to integrate and to potentiate efforts of knowledge production in the field. The search was made in two ways: for groups, using the wordkey "behavior analysis", "experimental analysis of behavior" and "behaviorism"; and for researchers, using masters` and doctors` names with dissertation and/or thesis in behavior analysis. Groups with at least one researcher in Behavior Analysis in all four censuses published by CNPq were followed. The search resulted in seventeen groups. The oldest was formed in 1983. More than half of the researchers found in these groups presented researches in behavior analysis, while the other share presented researches in different approaches of Psychology or even of other fields of knowledge. The number of researchers with doctor s degree increased along the years. Two among seventeen groups are registered out of the Psychology field. It was observed that four groups didn't modify their Research Line along the years and eight groups presented modifications in leadership. Note that there was an increase of connection of researchers to more than one group along the censuses. According to the obtained data, behavior analysis in Brazil, today, has titled researchers, in contact with other researchers (also titled), forming professionals and other researchers in behavior analysis. An advantage of research groups is the possibility of daily meeting for the development of researches, unlike the spaced encounters of the scientific associations