Interação mãe-criança: manipulação de respostas positivas e co-variação de respostas aversivas e positivas

Abstract

Severa1 studies have demonstrated that parenting works as contexts for 1eaming both pro-socia1 and inadequate chi1dren's behavior. Exercising these practices demands specific abi1ities, which are absent in the parents' repertoires that present difficulties in teaching, and maintaining the pro-socia1 behavior, controlling their chi1dren's behavior prob1ems. These abi1ities have been taught during training programs with parents enabling them to act efficient1y on the re1ationship with their chi1dren. The present study has ana1yzed the modalities of specific contingent arrangements between the caretaker's actions, and the 1eaming and maintenance of the chi1d's behavior. Through the manipu1ation of a certain category of classes of the caretakers' positiV'eresponses, it was tried to observe the co-variation possibi1ities in the other categories of answers of both invo1ved in the díade. Three pairs of caretaker-chi1d, that participated in the study were se1ected in a service of parents' orientation in an inner city of Minas Gerais. Three movie cameras,a mini tape recorder and a Standardized Observation Codes - SOC IlI, were used as instruments. The procedure was divided in three stages: base 1ine, intervention and post intervention. During the all the study, dai1y registration of home interactions between caretaker and child was take in audio and video, 24 hours a day, ranging from 12 to 18 days in accordance with each dyad design, due to a mu1tip1ebase 1ine among participants . The episodes of interaction that contaíned at 1east an uninterrupted hour of re1ationship between caretaker-chi1d were se1ected. In the base 1ine period notes were IDade, and they produced the data used during th,e iptervention. Right after the base tine, portions of interaction of each fami1y in whicll a positive interaction had happened between the son's behavior and the mother's subsNuent answer were se1ected. Those portions were reproduced in six sessions of individual intervention in which the researcher together with the caretaker ana1yzed the effects of the caretaker's positive actions on her child's answers. Then for three more days, data were collected without intervention (post-intervention period). Caretakers' and chi1dren's behaviors were registered during the who1e e1apsing time ofthe study. Th~se behaviors were classified as positive, aversive and neutral. The data indicate that in ~e three pairs the caretakers presented preponderance of aversive andneutra1 behaviors during the base 1ine. During and after the intervention, those types of behaviórs decreased in occurrence and they noted1y increased the caretakers' positive behaviors. The post-intervention data show the continuation of positive response of the caretakers and their chi1dren during the observed period. This study points out that trainings based on1y on the se1ection of caretakers' positive responses can be a good strategy for the improvement of their chi1dren's social behaviors