Extinction of Conditioned Behavior

Extinction of Conditioned Behavior

Extinction involves omitting the US in classical conditioning or the reinforcer in instrumental conditioning, leading to a decline in conditioned responding. This is different from forgetting, which is due to the passage of time.

Effects of Extinction

Extinction leads to a decrease in responding and an increase in response variability. Additionally, it can induce frustration, potentially leading to increased variability or aggression.

Associative Value and Extinction

The Rescorla-Wagner (R-W) model accounts for conditioned inhibition but not fully for extinction.

Spontaneous Recovery

Spontaneous recovery demonstrates that extinction does not simply reverse acquisition. If there is a delay between extinction trials, the conditioned response reappears.

Renewal

Renewal occurs when a conditioned response reappears if extinction occurs in one context, but the CS is presented in a different context. The memory of extinction is specific to contextual cues present during extinction.

Reinstatement

Reinstatement occurs when exposure to the US after extinction renews the conditioned response. Re-exposure in the same context reinstates conditioned responding.

Selective Reinstatement

Selective reinstatement suggests that extinction does not erase knowledge of the reinforcer linked to a behavior. For example, more responding occurred on the sugar lever after a sugar reward was presented.

Resurgence

Resurgence is the reappearance of an extinguished response when a second response undergoes extinction.

Enhancing Extinction

Strategies to enhance extinction include:

• Increased number and decreased spacing of extinction trials.
• Conducting extinction in multiple contexts to decrease the renewal effect.
• Compounding extinction stimuli, which involves presenting two stimuli simultaneously during extinction to prevent spontaneous recovery.