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Curadoria científica com IA
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Pesquisa em Análise do Comportamento, organizada por evidências
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Abstract Behavior-analytic journals have historically exhibited high levels of self-citation and relatively limited exchange with other scientific disciplines. Although bibliometric studies have examined citation patterns in journals such as the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior , no large-scale investigation has analyzed the references cited in Behavior and Social Issues ( BSI ). This study addresses this gap through a bibliometric analysis of all references cited in BSI between 1978 and 2022. A total of 562 publications and 14,765 references were classified according to research type, disciplinary alignment, authorship, and publication outlet. The results revealed the predominance of theoretical and interpretative publications throughout the journal’s history, as well as strong concentration around a relatively small group of behavior-analytic authors and journals, particularly B. F. Skinner and S. S. Glenn. At the same time, BSI consistently incorporated references from disciplines such as anthropology, economics, evolutionary biology, political theory, and environmental science. Direct journal self-citation represented 7.91% of all references cited in BSI , substantially lower than rates previously reported for several other behavior-analytic journals. Taken together, the findings suggest that BSI developed through the combination of a stable behavior-analytic intellectual core and broad interdisciplinary engagement with socially relevant problems, functioning as a comparatively permeable and interdisciplinary outlet within behavior analysis.
Abstract This article proposes an integrated conceptual framework for analyzing video games through functional analysis, arguing that game design is fundamentally the arrangement of reinforcement and punishment contingencies. Video game genres are functional systems defined by reinforcement schedules, operant punishment, and temporally extended consequences programmed in game environments. To illustrate this behavioral interpretation of video games, we conduct a functional analysis of the contingencies operating in three illustrative commercial genres: platformers (focused on precision and modeling), Metroidvanias (based on conditional discrimination and interconnection of repertoires), and turn-based RPGs (governed by rules and chaining). Furthermore, the game features that continue to shape player behavior were examined, including aesthetic elements and cross-genre metasystems, such as achievements, leaderboards, and loot boxes. The analysis demonstrates that successful game design is also successful contingency design. Finally, we discuss the ethical implications of monetized metasystems (such as loot boxes) and propose that the principles of behavior analysis can be used to "reverse engineer" game design to illustrate how both experimental and applied domains can benefit from the consilience between behavior analysis and game design.
Abstract Questionable research practices (QRPs) inject bias into single-case experimental design (SCED) research. A prominent QRP is selective reporting, the omission or selective depiction of data or research procedures to inflate the appearance of positive experimental effects. Open and transparent research practices, including clear and appropriate research questions, transparent procedural reporting, and unbiased outcomes reporting, provide evidence that researchers have taken steps to avoid selective reporting in SCED. Peer reviewers have substantial influence in evaluating whether submitted articles reflect these practices. We provide explicit guidance for peer reviewers to appraise how SCED research articles submitted for publication reflect open and transparent reporting as well as describe ways in which clear and constructive feedback to authors can reduce QRPs in behavior science research.
Abstract Although assessments of relative reinforcer efficacy (RRE) have demonstrated utility for instructional programming, their relevance to informing treatment for challenging behavior is underexplored. Because reinforcer value moderates response persistence, RRE may serve as an index of persistence and could have prescriptive utility for treatment design. We targeted the persistence of arbitrary responses of 90 consenting and compensated adults with disabilities. We assigned participants to one of five baselines in which target responses were maintained on schedules prescribed by demand curve analysis (i.e., elastic‐EO, inelastic‐EO, elastic‐AO, inelastic‐AO, P max ) using reinforcers whose RRE had been quantified by breakpoints obtained during progressive‐ratio analysis. We then placed responding on extinction. Linear regressions revealed significant correlations between breakpoints and various metrics of persistence (i.e., rate, latency, reinforcers missed). These relations, however, were less apparent via visual inspection. Our data suggest progressive‐ratio analysis will not serve clinically useful functions without additional conceptual and validation work.
Resumo A adesão ao tratamento por parte dos cuidadores é necessária para o sucesso a longo prazo de intervenções comportamentais como o treino de comunicação funcional. O treinamento padrão de habilidades comportamentais (BST) pode efetivamente ensinar cuidadores a implementar o tratamento com fidelidade procedural, mas pesquisas anteriores demonstraram que ele é insuficiente para prevenir a recaída a comportamentos contra-terapêuticos dos cuidadores presentes antes do treinamento (por exemplo, reforçar comportamento desafiador). Comparamos os efeitos do BST padrão com um procedimento de BST aprimorado para melhorar a adesão ao tratamento e mitigar a recaída em um arranjo laboratorial desenvolvido por Mitteer et al. (2018). Durante o BST aprimorado, os cuidadores foram expostos a tentativas de role-play envolvendo taxas mais altas de comportamento desafiador. Quando expostos a um desafio de adesão ao tratamento envolvendo taxas mais altas de comportamento desafiador e respostas de comunicação variáveis, todos os três participantes designados ao grupo de BST padrão exibiram recaída a comportamentos contra-terapêuticos dos cuidadores, enquanto a recaída foi eliminada para todos os três participantes no grupo de BST aprimorado. Implicações e direções futuras dos achados laboratoriais são discutidas.
Abstract Resurgence is the return of a previously reinforced and extinguished target response when conditions worsen for an alternative response. Several studies examined resurgence when brief stimulus changes/instructions accompanied phase transitions in standard three‐phase procedures, which confounded the effects of worsening with extinction and stimulus changes. Subsequent research found resurgence was greater when a 1‐s stimulus change preceded both phase changes compared with groups experiencing more frequent or no stimulus changes. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether presenting identical versus different stimuli prior to both phase changes influenced resurgence in Experiment 1 and a stimulus only prior to extinction testing was sufficient to observe enhanced resurgence effects in Experiment 2. We found no differences in resurgence whether the brief stimulus changes (1) between phases were identical or different or (2) occurred before Phases 2 and 3 or only before Phase 3; however, resurgence was greater when preceding only Phase 3 with a stimulus change versus no stimuli between phases or a stimulus only before Phase 2. These findings suggest stimuli signaling transitions to extinction testing enhance resurgence effects. We discuss whether brief stimulus changes are functionally similar to contextual changes accompanying phases previously shown to produce renewal and enhance resurgence.
Abstract Behavior analysis has a long history of using nonhuman animals in basic research, classroom teaching, and applied practice, yet discipline-specific guidance for competent and ethical animal work remains limited. This paper reviews historical and contemporary trends in animal use within behavior analysis, including the decline of traditional animal laboratories, growing interest in invertebrate models, and expansion of behavior-analytic work into homes, shelters, zoos, and other applied settings. We argue that although behavioral principles are broadly applicable, competence in animal work requires more than general behavior-analytic training. In the absence of integrated guidance for developing and evaluating that competence, behavior analysts may face serious risks to animal welfare, human safety, the relationship between behavior analysis and the broader animal behavior community, and the field’s ability to advance a comprehensive science of behavior. In response, we propose a set of six minimum standards for animal-focused work in behavior analysis: (1) interdisciplinary knowledge of animal behavior, (2) species-specific knowledge, (3) skill fluency, (4) ethical conduct, (5) safe practices, and (6) appropriate mentorship strategies. A practical self-assessment tool accompanies these standards to help professionals determine their scope of competence. We hope these standards initiate a needed conversation about what is required to work with animals competently in behavior analysis and support the development of guidelines as structured, explicit, and carefully maintained as those established for human-focused work.
Abstract Interventions seeking to reduce impulsive choice in nonhuman animals (i.e., preference for smaller sooner over larger later rewards [SSR vs. LLR]) often require long training durations. However, prior studies illustrate how a brief course of Pavlovian training can reduce rodents' impulsive choice by attracting them to the LLR and by providing an appetitive Pavlovian conditioned stimulus (CS) contingent on LLR choices. In these studies, the comparison group completed unpaired (UN) training where the CS and US never co‐occurred. The present study added a truly random control (TRC) group to evaluate whether UN training made the CS aversive, exaggerating the effect of Pavlovian training on self‐control. Following Pavlovian (PAV), UN, or TRC training, a lever CS was inserted into the chamber during half the delay to the LLR. PAV rats were significantly more attracted to the lever during training and chose the LLR significantly more often than TRC or UN rats. Significant sex differences were detected, with self‐control influencing the effects of Pavlovian training predominantly observed in male rats. Because sex differences in self‐control outcomes were not observed in the only other study to examine the effects of presenting an appetitive CS after LLR choices, possible reasons for this interexperiment difference are discussed.
Abstract The peak interval procedure, in which subjects learn to cluster their anticipatory responses around delays to biologically critical outcomes, provides benchmarks for interval timing models. These include (a) the bistable response regime demarcated by an abrupt increase (start times) and a decrease (stop times) in response rates around the target time in individual trials; (b) bell‐curve‐shaped average response curves that superpose on a relative time scale; (c) lower coefficient of variation of stop times than start times; and (d) specific correlational patterns between these parameters, their mean, and difference. This article presents a multilayer computational model that predicts these key markers of timing behavior in the peak interval procedure. The first layer constitutes the clock stage, comprising uncoupled diffusion processes approaching a single boundary. The first crossing of the threshold for each diffusion process is broadcast to the downstream motor layer. The motor layer integrates the broadcast signals with a leak term scaled by the drift rate to avoid saturation and reset of motor system activity. The model is extended to account for real‐time temporal discrimination. This family of models departs from the single‐clock approach to modeling and meets the core empirical benchmarks of timing behavior.
Resumo Diversos estudos têm relatado déficits no processamento temporal em doenças neurodegenerativas como a doença de Parkinson e a doença de Alzheimer. Esses déficits podem ser quantificados por paradigmas de timing de intervalo que requerem que os participantes estimem ou produzam um intervalo de vários segundos e demandam memória de trabalho para regras temporais, bem como atenção ao tempo. O desempenho em timing pode ser quantificado por uma variedade de medidas; no entanto, duas métricas relativamente universais incluem: (1) acurácia temporal, definida como a estimativa temporal média, e (2) precisão temporal, refletida pela variabilidade das estimativas temporais. Examinamos a acurácia e a precisão temporais em uma meta-análise de 14 estudos com pacientes com doença de Parkinson e 10 estudos com pacientes com doença de Alzheimer. É notável que, em ambas as doenças, a precisão temporal mostrou-se confiavelmente prejudicada across os estudos, enquanto a acurácia temporal foi afetada na doença de Alzheimer, mas não na doença de Parkinson. Nossa meta-análise sugere que, apesar da diversidade de paradigmas de timing de intervalo e da complexidade da doença de Parkinson e da doença de Alzheimer, a precisão temporal é consistentemente prejudicada nessas doenças. Esses resultados avançam o timing de intervalo como um ensaio confiável para estudar a disfunção cognitiva na doença de Parkinson e na doença de Alzheimer e podem se estender a outros transtornos neurológicos e psiquiátricos.
Abstract Case-specific effect sizes have been developed to supplement the visual analysis of line-graphed data in single-case design research by quantitatively summarizing intervention effectiveness. This article provides background on case-specific effect sizes and describes when they can effectively complement visual analysis. We discuss several distinct families of case-specific effect size metrics, including nonoverlap indices (e.g., nonoverlap of all pairs), standardized measures (e.g., standardized mean difference), response ratios (e.g., percentage change), and goal attainment (e.g., percent of goal obtained). Furthermore, we discuss the assumptions and limitations that hold for all families of case-specific effect sizes and the assumptions and limitations of each type of case-specific effect size. In conclusion, we provide guidance for determining when these metrics are appropriate for a single-case design study and present a decision framework to help researchers select the most suitable effect size measure(s), if any, for their data.
Abstract Impulsive choice—preference for a smaller-sooner over a larger-later reward—is a transdiagnostic risk factor for behaviors that harm human health. Preventing a temporally extended pattern of impulsive choice should be a translational research priority. No existing intervention meets all the criteria outlined in this article of an ideal school-based prevention program: low cost, low teacher effort, fast-acting, and capable of producing lasting, generalizable reductions in impulsive choice. Here, we evaluate Pavlovian conditioning as a candidate approach. Our review is informed by evidence from nonhuman laboratory experiments and kindergarten classroom studies examining whether appetitive Pavlovian conditioning protocols can reduce impulsive choice and related behaviors. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that a brief Pavlovian conditioning protocol establishes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that may then be strategically used to reduce impulsive choice in rats by serving as an attractive antecedent and/or an appetitive delay-bridging stimulus. Studies conducted in kindergarten classrooms show that a class-wide protocol can establish an appetitive CS with minimal teacher training and classroom disruption. Presenting the CS during an in-situ waiting task reduced children's challenging behaviors and presenting it during academic-choice tasks increased children's willingness to work for larger rewards. This preliminary evidence supports the continued exploration of Pavlovian conditioning approaches to efficiently prevent patterns of impulsive choice that cumulate over time to negatively affect human health and wellbeing.
Abstract Type I errors, or false positives, occur when a researcher erroneously concludes that the independent variable caused a change in the dependent variable. Type I errors can result in resources being misused in both research and practice. Although Type I errors are most often associated with group design paradigms, researchers using single-case experimental designs are also susceptible to making Type I errors. In this article, we describe the research on Type I errors in single-case experimental designs across analytic methods, including visual analysis, machine learning, effect estimation, and randomization approaches. We also suggest ways that each analytic method can be used to mitigate Type I errors and highlight aspects of Type I error in single-case experimental designs that are understudied and in need of additional research.
Abstract Renewal, reinstatement, and other forms of recovery of learned behavior after extinction have been interpreted in terms of the concept of context . Context is defined here as the field of stimuli that is interrelated with the behavior of an individual in the present. Two important classes of stimuli that comprise context are discriminative stimuli and motivating operations. Two experiments examined interactions between discriminative and motivational aspects of context in the renewal and reinstatement of operant behavior following extinction in mice. In Experiment 1, mice received all operant acquisition and extinction sessions under 24 hr of food deprivation. In Experiment 2, mice received half of acquisition and extinction sessions under 24 hr of deprivation and the other half under nondeprived conditions. In both experiments, mice were tested for renewal and reinstatement after extinction, one group under 24 hr of deprivation and the other nondeprived. Results showed that the extent to which recovery occurred depended on relations between motivating operations (a) during acquisition/extinction learning and (b) during tests for renewal and reinstatement. Translational implications for the study of recovery of behavior after extinction in nonlaboratory circumstances are discussed.
Abstract Grooming is crucial for mammalian health and hygiene, serving diverse functions such as parasite defense, removing dirt, and thermoregulation. Grooming is not purely reactive but integrated into daily routines and regulated endogenously. In rodents, it has been shown to follow a sequential structure with predictable patterns, often interpreted as reflecting pattern‐generating neurological programs. In this study, we examined the temporal and spatial structure of self‐grooming sequences in cats to test whether grooming in this species follows similarly predictable patterns. Grooming performance in 17 cats was recorded, and 40 sequences were analyzed to discern the allocation of grooming time to different body areas. Pattern analyses reveal the temporal order in which body areas were cleaned. Oral grooming occupies the largest portion of grooming time, whereas face washing and scratching were less frequent. High individual variation was found in the distribution of grooming time across body areas and in the spatiotemporal order of sequences, challenging the idea of strict patterns and grooming rules in cats. Instead, our analyses indicate that grooming is structured by probabilistic transitions between spatially adjacent body regions. We conclude that grooming sequences in cats are primarily determined by the spatial proximity of grooming targets and movement efficiency.