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Playing with partners as a behavioral
cusp. Maria Stella C. A. Gil, Heloisa S. M. Robles and Julio C. De Rose Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil Developmental psychology considers that children's play leads to fundamental motor, affective and cognitive acquisitions. Behavioral studies seem to lack an interest in play for its own sake, and tend to consider it more as a setting in which other behaviors may be studied or acquired. The present study used the notion of behavioral cusps, response classes that expose persons to new environments, opening up possibilities for the acquisition of new and significant behaviors (cf. Rosales-Ruiz and Baer, 1998). Children were observed playing with adult supervision. Children's behaviors following adults' instructions were observed and categorized. Behaviors that complied with instructions were followed by positive social consequences and were also followed by natural consequences that were likely to be positive. The data suggest that, in a play setting, instruction following under control of social consequences increase the probability of contact with natural consequences, and provide opportunities for the development of listening behavior. It is also hypothesized that when children play without adult supervision, they exchange roles as instruction giver and follower. Play may be, therefore, a behavioral cusp that transforms the social environment of the child, opening up possibilities of acquisition of new verbal and social behaviors. Keywords: play, behavioral cusp, verbal instructions, instruction following |
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