Escola experimental de primatas: análise da coerência entre pressupostos e práticas empíricas / Experimental school for primates: analysis of the consistency between assumptions and empirical practices

Este estudo investigou a coerência entre os pressupostos teóricos e a prática empírica dos estudos experimentais da Escola Experimental de Primatas (EEP), especialmente sobre a existência de homologias de processos comportamentais entre macacos-prego (Sapajus spp.) e seres humanos. Foram analisados 1) a origem dos objetivos e dos procedimentos dos estudos; 2) se os objetivos propostos foram alcançados ou não; e 3) se nos estudos da EEP é discutida a questão do modelo animal e/ou a aplicabilidade dos procedimentos utilizados nos estudos para humanos. Verificou-se que não são apresentados dados empíricos que sustentem a homologia sugerida na proposta teórica norteadora da EEP. Sugere-se 1) o desenvolvimento de estudos empíricos que validem a homologia de processos comportamentais entre alguns repertórios dos macacos-prego e humanos; e 2) dar início à aplicação dos achados da pesquisa básica da EEP no desenvolvimento de procedimentos para ensinar repertórios relacionais para pessoas com atraso no desenvolvimento cognitivo...

This study evaluated the empirical studies of the Experimental School for Primates (ESP) in order to verify the consistency between their theoretical and empirical practices, especially the assumption of homology of behavioral processes among capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) and humans. The following aspects were analyzed a) the origin of the objectives and procedures of the studies, 2) whether the objectives were achieved or not, and 3) whether in the studies of ESP the issue of animal model and/or applicability of the procedures used to study humans were discussed. It was noted that there are no empirical data supporting the homology proposal in the ESP theoretical proposition. It is suggested: 1) the development of empirical studies that validate the homology of behavioral processes among some human and capuchin monkeys repertoires, and 2) to initiate the application of basic research findings from ESP to develop procedures to teach relational repertoires for people with cognitive development delay...

El supuesto de la continuidad conductual entre especies y la comprensión de la conducta Humana / The assumption of behavioral continuity between Species and the understanding of Human behavior

El supuesto de continuidad en la tradición operante, es decir, considerar la conducta de todas las especies en términos de los mismos procesos, ha inducido una confusión de categorías que impide el estudio y la comprensión de la conducta propiamente humana. Se revisan los argumentos continuistas, especialmente basados en la simplicidad científica y la continuidad filogenética. Sin respaldar la postura anticontinuista, se desarrollan tres contraargumentos mostrando cómo es defendible la posibilidad de diferentes procesos conductuales entre especies, incluyendo la humana, sin desconocer que el origen de las diferentes especies y de la conducta de los organismos responde a los mismos principios. Al final, se esboza una propuesta frente al debate que abre la posibilidad de identificar diferentes procesos conductuales, en lo que sería un análisis de organizaciones conductuales, que permitiría un acercamiento más provechoso al estudio de la conducta propiamente humana desde una perspectiva conductual.

The continuity assumption in the operant tradition, that is, to consider the behavior of all species in terms of the same processes, has induced a confusion of categories that prevents the study and understanding of proper human behavior. Continuity arguments are reviewed, especially those based on scientific simplicity and phylogenetic continuity. Three counterarguments are developed, showing how the possibility of different behavioral processes among species, including the human one, is defensible, without denying that the origins of different species and of the behavior of organisms respond to the same principles. In the end, a proposal is outlined about the possibility of identifying different behavioral processes, as an analysis of behavioral organization, which would allow a more fruitful study of properly human behavior from a behavioral perspective.