Extinction

Question 1

Definition of extinction

Answer 1

Behaviour that was previously reinforced stops being reinforced, the behaviour will weaken or decrease

Question 2

Extinction works with behaviours that…

Answer 2

were previously maintained with positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement

Question 3

What are extinction bursts

Answer 3

Behaviour may briefly increase in frequency, duration, or intensity after the reinforcement is eliminated

Question 4

What is extinction-induced aggression

Answer 4

Novel behaviours often emotional or aggressive may be exhibited after extinction

Question 5

What is spontaneous recovery

Answer 5

After a period of extinction, a behaviour may reappear, despite the lack of reinforcement

Question 6

What factors influence the effectiveness of extinction

Answer 6

Previous schedule of reinforcement
Magnitude of of previous reinforcement
Inadvertent reinforcement during extinction phase
Extinction of behaviour should be combined with reinforcement of other behaviour

Question 7

How does the previous schedule of reinforcement affect the effectiveness of extinction

Answer 7

Continuous schedule leads to faster decrease in the behaviour (lower resistance to extinction)
Intermittent schedule leads to slower decrease in behaviour (greater RTE)

Question 8

Why do behaviours from intermittent schedules of reinforcement have higher resistance to extinction

Answer 8

The behaviour was only sometimes reinforced in the past, so lack of reinforcement has less of an effect

Question 9

Three side effects of extinction

Answer 9

Extinction burst
Extinction-induced aggression
Spontaneous recovery