The extinction burst
Effects of reinforcement magnitude
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10244347 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Timothy A Shahan (0000-0002-6338-8714, Utah State University Logan UT USA, corresponding author), Matias Avellaneda (0009-0000-3476-156X, Utah State University Logan UT USA) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 123 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 312-323 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-5002 • E-ISSN: 1938-3711 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/jeab.4238 |
| PMID | 39829057 |
| OpenAlex | W4406628100 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 30 |
The extinction burst is an increase in an operant behavior early in the transition to extinction. A matching‐law‐based quantitative theory suggests that it results from the elimination of competition from reinforcement‐related behavior that accompanies the transition to extinction. This experiment examined the effects of reinforcement magnitude on the extinction burst with rats. Responding produced either 1 pellet or 6 pellets prior to a within‐session transition to extinction. Baseline response rates were lower with 6 pellets than with 1 pellet but increased more in the first minute of extinction following 6 pellets. Furthermore, an order effect was observed where rats having first experienced extinction following 1 pellet showed a smaller extinction burst when subsequently trained with 6 pellets—an outcome resulting from a faster deceleration of responding during extinction. The model described the data well, including the order effect, when augmented to include the potential asymmetrical influence of learning to discriminate the continued absence of different magnitudes of reinforcement. We conclude that the approach holds promise by formally incorporating the extinction burst into the corpus of matching theory and serving as an example of the utility of better aligning basic research methods and theorizing with areas of applied concern
Biology · Extinction (optical mineralogy) · Optics · Pellets · Physics · Reinforcement · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Behavioral and Psychological Studies · Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |