Como nasce um ouvinte competente: do Verbal Behavior aos possíveis controles do repertório de um bebê

Abstract

This thesis presented two studies investigating the conditioning of competent listener behavior. The goal of the first study was to retrieve, from Verbal Behavior, indications that help describe how one becomes a listener and what history makes one a capable or competent listener. For this purpose, the 1972 digital edition of the book was selected, and searches were conducted for the terms "listener" and "behavior of the listener." From this, 817 excerpts were identified and organized into three categories of analysis: topography, sources of control, and conditioning of listener behavior. Finally, the excerpts corresponding to these categories were examined and discussed. The second study aimed to examine the changes in stimulus control involved in the acquisition of listener behavior, which enables the listener to mediate consequences for the speaker's responses in a verbal episode. The empirical research consisted of a longitudinal observational study. A mother-infant dyad participated in the study. The infant was 60 days old, and the mother was 30 years old at the beginning of the research. The setting was the dyad’s home, in environments such as the baby’s bedroom, the living room, and the playroom. The data treatment and analysis followed four main stages: i) familiarizing the observer with the records; ii) defining behavioral categories and parameters; iii) coding performances using the Datavyu® software; iv) analyzing the contingencies in mother-infant interactions. The results of both the theoretical and empirical studies revealed that it was not possible to define a single response form for listener behavior. To identify it, when functional relations were not yet established, the infant’s responses that mediated consequences for the speaker’s behavior were considered, even though the infant’s behavior was not necessarily under verbal stimulus control. The empirical research showed potential changes in the infant’s behavior control throughout the first year of life. The transition process highlighted the importance of gradual shifts in control over the course of development. The study evidenced that, initially, the infant was almost exclusively under the control of interactions with the mother, but as exposure to the environment increased, control came to be exerted by a variety of verbal and non-verbal stimuli, both from the mother and the physical environment. This gradual transition in control was fundamental to the development of competent listener behavior. The theoretical analysis indicated similarities in contingencies between conditioned speakers and listeners, while the empirical research data also suggested that, in conditioning, speaker behavior is constantly shaped through interaction with listener behavior. Finally, it is suggested that new empirical research be conducted to investigate the conditioning of listener behavior during the first year of life and to undertake a review discussing the points of contact between theoretical explanations and natural conditioning