Topic 5: Extinction Flashcards
Extinction
the process by which, when a prevoiusly reinforced behavior is no longer followed by the reinforcing consequences, the frequency of the behavior decreases in the future
Extinction Burst
the phenomenon in which, when a behavior is no longer reinforced, the behavior temporarily increases in frequency, duration, or intensity before it decreases, novel behaviors or emotional responses may also occur in an extinction burst
Spontaneous Recovery
the process in which, when an operant behavior has been extinguished, the behavior may occur again in the future in which it was prevoiusly reinforced
Resistance to Extinction
the tendency for a person to continue to respond after extinction is in effect for the behavior, intermittent reinforcement schedules make the behavior more resistant to extinction than do continuous reinforcement schedules
What is extinction?
if a behavior that was prevoiusly reinforced stops being reinforced, the behavior will weaken or decrease
works with behavior previously maintained with positive reinforcement or behavior maintained with negative reinforcement
not the same as forgetting a behavior
What is an extinction burst?
behavior may briefly increase in frequency, duration, or intensity after the reinforcement is eliminated
e.g. child swears: parent ignore it; swearing increases before declining
What is extinction-induced aggression?
novel behaviors, often emotional or aggressive, may be exhibited
e.g. failing to receive attention for swearing, child throws a toy on the ground and screams
What is spontaneous recovery?
after a period of extinction, a behavior may reappear, despite the lack of reinforcement
How does the previous schedule of reinforcement effect extinction?
continuous schedule leads to faster decrease in behavior (lower resistance to extinction or RTE)
intermittent schedules leads to slower decrease in behavior (greater RTE)
e.g. in the past, sometimes ignoring the child’s swearing, but sometimes attending to it –> greater RTE
How does the magnitude of previous reinforcement effect extinction?
larger reinforcer produces greater RTE
How does inadvertent reinforcement effect extinction?
inadvertent reinforcement that occurs during the extinction phase –> behavior increases
What should extinction be combined with?
extinction of unwanted behavior should be combined with reinforcement of an alternative behavior
