Chapt er 5Extinct ion

Chapt er Outlin e

Defining ExtinctionExtinction BurstSpontan e o u s RecoveryProcedur al Variations of ExtinctionA Common Misconcep tion About ExtinctionFactors Influencing ExtinctionChapter Summ a ryKey TermsPractice TestAppendix AChapter 5, Quiz 1Chapter 5, Quiz 2Chapter 5, Quiz 3

Idea s for Clas s Activi ti e s

1. Describe everyd a y exam ple s of positive and nega tive reinforce m e n t and ask stude n t s to describe how extinction would occur with each exam ple .

2. Describe everyd a y exam ple s of extinction and ask studen t s to describe the extinction burst s that could occur in each exam ple .

Answ er s to Practic e Tes t Que s t i o n s

1. Extinction occurs when a behavior which has been previously reinforced no longer results in reinforcing conse q u e n c e s and, therefore, the behavior stops occurring in the future.

2. The following exam ple illustra t e s extinction: Karen’s washing machin e will not start unless she pounds hard one time on the side of the machin e. Eventually the pounding is no longer effective in getting the machine to start , so Karen no longer pounds on the machin e.

3. An extinction burst is when an unreinforced behavior tempor arily increas e s in freque nc y, dura tion, or intensity during the extinction process . An extinction burst may also involve an increas e in novel behavior and an increas e in emotion al behavior or aggre s sive behavior.

4. The following exa m ple illustrat e s an extinction burst: When Karen’s machine would not start after she pound e d hard on the side, she pound e d it several times (increas e in freque nc y) and pound e d it harder and harder each time (increas e in intensity) before she gave up and called the repairm a n. She may also hit the other side of the machine and possibly curse or kick the machin e.

5. See figure 5.2 for an exa m ple of a graph illustrating an extinction burst.

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6. Negative reinforce m e n t is when the occurrenc e of a behavior is followed by the remov al of a stimulus or a decre a s e in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the strength e ning of the behavior. Extinction of a nega tively reinforced behavior involves the elimination of the escap e or avoidanc e that was reinforcing the behavior with the result that the behavior will stop occurring in the future.

7. The following exa m ple illustrat e s the extinction of a nega tively reinforced behavior: Ed closes his window at night to escap e from the loud noise coming from the night club across the stree t . Ed’s window was broken by a golf ball, so closing the window no longer results in escap e from the loud noise. Ed no longer closes his window.

8. Extinction mea n s removing a reinforcer for a behavior so the behavior will stop occurring. Ignoring will function as extinction only when it was atten tion that was reinforcing the proble m behavior.

9. When a behavior is continuously reinforced , once the reinforce m e n t is terminat e d , the behavior will decre a s e rapidly. When a behavior is intermitt e n tly reinforced and the reinforce m e n t is termina t e d , the behavior will decre a s e more gradu ally.

10. Whenev er reinforce m e n t occurs after extinction is starte d for a behavior, it will take longer for the behavior to decre a s e and stop occurring.

11. See Figure 5.4 for an exa m ple of a graph illustrating the effect of accident al reinforce m e n t after extinction has been initiated.

12. Sponta n e o u s recovery occurs after extinction has decre a s e d a behavior. It is the natural tend e nc y for the behavior to occur again in situations that are similar to situations in which the behavior occurred prior to extinction

Answ er s to Quizze s

Quiz 11. decre a s e s or stops occurring 2. freque nc y, duration, or intensity 3. reinforcer 4. aversive stimulus 5. sponta n e o u s recovery 6. novel behavior may occur, emotion al respons e s or aggres sive behavior may occur 7. when atten tion is the reinforcer for the behavior 8. less 9. getting candy 10. when the child cries in the store, no longer give candy to the child

Quiz 21. is no longer reinforced 2. extinction burst 3. positively 4. nega tively 5. it occurs again 6. novel, emotional behavior and aggre s sive behavior 7. reinforce m e n t for the behavior 8. more 9. negative 10. when the child cries, do not stop brushing her teeth

Quiz 31. the behavior is no longer reinforced 2. increas e s 3. no longer delivered 4. no longer remove d 5. sponta n e o u s recovery 6. novel behaviors , emotion al behaviors or aggre s sive behaviors 7. schedule of reinforce m e n t 8. continuou s reinforce m e n t or CRF 9. positive 10. when she push es the button, the door no longer opens

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Test Que s t i o n s

1. A behavior that has been previously reinforced no longer results in reinforcing consequences and, as a result, stops occurring in the future. This process is referred to as:

a) positive reinforcementb) extinctionc) negative reinforcementd) punishment

ANS: B

2. Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is ____________ reinforced.a) continuouslyb) intermittentlyc) no longerd) A and B

ANS: C

3. _________ occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforceda) punishmentb) conditioningc) extinctiond) B and C

ANS: C

4. Timmy takes out the garbage and his mother praises him when he does it. When his mother stops praising him, Timmy stops taking out the garbage. Timmy’s behavior of taking out the garbage has been:

a) punishedb) extinguishedc) reversedd) negatively reinforced

ANS: B

5. Sarah presses her mouse button while using her computer but nothing happens (the mouse is broken). Sarah presses the mouse button longer and harder before eventually giving up. Sarah’s behavior of temporarily pressing the mouse button longer and harder before giving up is an example of a(an):

a) contingencyb) establishing operationc) novel behaviord) extinction burst

ANS: D

6. During an extinction burst, the unreinforced behavior can increase in:a) frequencyb) durationc) intensityd) all of these

ANS: D

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7. During ___________, the unreinforced behavior can increase in frequency, duration, or intensitya) spontaneous recoveryb) an extinction burstc) punishmentd) all of these

ANS: B

8. In addition to an increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of the unreinforced behavior during an extinction burst, _____________________ may also occur.

a) the occurrence of novel behaviorsb) aggressive behaviorc) emotional behaviorsd) all of these

ANS: D

9. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an extinction burst?a) unreinforced behavior may briefly increaseb) emotional responses may occurc) behavior becomes resistant to reinforcementd) novel behaviors may occur

ANS: C

10. Extinction of a positively reinforced behavior involves removal of the _________ following the behavior:a) behaviorb) aversive stimulusc) positive reinforcerd) A and C

ANS: C

11. Randy stopped putting money into a candy machine because he stopped getting candy out. After a couple months Randy put money into the candy machine again, but when no candy came out, he stopped putting money in. Randy’s behavior of putting money into the candy machine after a couple months is an example of:

a) punishmentb) spontaneous recoveryc) delayed extinctiond) reinforcement

ANS: B

12. When a behavior occurs again after it had not occurred for some time due to extinction, the process is calleda) operant behaviorb) extinction burstc) resurgenced) spontaneous recovery

ANS: D

13. Extinction of a negatively reinforced behavior involves continuation of the _______ following the behavior.a) aversive stimulusb) reinforcerc) conditioned stimulusd) negative stimulus

ANS: A

14. In order to extinguish a negatively reinforced behavior, the ____________ is no longer removed or avoided following the behavior.

a) aversive stimulus

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b) positive reinforcerc) reinforcerd) prompt

ANS: A

15. Whenever Matt is told to run laps during basketball practice, he complains to the coach that he is too tired in order to get out of running. The coach starts making him run the laps anyway, and eventually Matt stops complaining about being too tired when he is told to run. This is an example of:

a) extinction of a negatively reinforced behaviorb) spontaneous recoveryc) extinction of a positively reinforced behaviord) punishment

ANS: A

16. Robert dances in the end zone whenever he scores a touchdown, because the fans give him a standing ovation for doing so. When the fans no longer give him a standing ovation for his dancing, Robert stops dancing in the end zone. This is an example of:

a) punishmentb) extinction of a negatively reinforced behaviorc) a latency periodd) extinction of a positively reinforced behavior

ANS: D

17. A common misconception people have about extinction, is that it:a) means ignoring the behaviorb) increases the behaviorc) is the same as reinforcementd) decreases the behavior

ANS: A

18. Ignoring the behavior amounts to extinction only when the behavior is:a) occurring excessivelyb) negatively reinforcedc) reinforced by attentiond) not severe

ANS: C

19. Which of the following factors influence the extinction process?a) punishment prior to extinctionb) reinforcement after extinction c) A and Bd) none of these

ANS: B

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20. Which of the following factors does NOT influence the extinction process?a) the schedule of reinforcement before extinctionb) reinforcement after extinctionc) the frequency of the behaviord) B and C

ANS: C

21. In comparison with a behavior that has been intermittently reinforced, a behavior that has been continuously reinforced will ____________ when reinforcement is stopped.

a) decrease more rapidlyb) decrease at the same ratec) decrease more slowlyd) remain at about the same level

ANS: A

22. In comparison to a behavior that has been continuously reinforced, a behavior that has been intermittently reinforced will _____________ when reinforcement is stopped

a) decrease more rapidlyb) decrease at the same ratec) decrease more slowlyd) remain at about the same level

ANS: C

23. Greg shakes the apple tree to get an apple to fall for him to eat. Now when he shakes the tree, no apples fall so he runs into the tree with his shoulder to get an apple to fall. Running into the tree with his shoulder is an example of:

a) an extinction burstb) spontaneous recoveryc) resistance to extinctiond) an establishing operation

ANS: A

24. If reinforcement for the behavior occurs during the process of extinction, the behavior will:a) decrease more rapidlyb) be unaffected by the reinforcementc) decrease less rapidlyd) immediately become extinguished

ANS: C

25. Which of the following processes weakens operant behavior?a) negative reinforcementb) extinctionc) positive reinforcementd) respondent conditioning

ANS: B

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26. Bobby’s parents used extinction to get him to stop crying when he had to eat vegetables, by making him eat vegetables despite his crying. One night Bobby has a babysitter, and she does not make him eat his vegetables when he starts crying. As a result, Bobby’s behavior of crying when told to eat vegetables:

a) has not been reinforcedb) has been intermittently reinforcedc) has been continuously reinforced d) A and B

ANS: B

27. Extinction works best when: a) it follows continuous reinforcementb) it follows intermittent reinforcementc) reinforcement occurs during extinctiond) A and C

ANS: A

28. Extinction will be least effective when: a) it follows continuous reinforce m e n tb) it follows intermit t en t reinforce m e n tc) reinforce m e n t occurs after extinctiond) B and C

ANS: D

29. When the behavior occurs, the reinforcer is no longer delivered . This is a definition of extinction of:

a) nega tively reinforced behaviorb) an intermit t en tly reinforced behaviorc) a potitively reinforced behaviord) a continuously reinforced behavior

ANS: C

30. When the behavior occurs, the aversive stimulus is no longer remove d. This is a definition of extinction of:

a) nega tively reinforced behaviorb) an intermit t en tly reinforced behaviorc) a potitively reinforced behaviord) a continuously reinforced behavior

ANS: A

1. In extinction, the __________________ is eliminat e d following the occurrenc e of the behavior.

ANS: reinforcer

2. When a behavior is no longer reinforced, the behavior _______________________ in the future.

ANS: decreases, stops

3. During an extinction burst , the unreinforce d behavior may tempora rily increas e in ____________, ____________, or _____________.

ANS: frequency, duration, intensity (any order)

4. In extinction of a behavior that was positively reinforced, the _____________________ is no longer delivered following the behavior.

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ANS: positive reinforcer

5. In extinction of a nega tively reinforced behavior, the _____________________ is no longer remove d following the behavior.

ANS: aversive stimulus

6. When extinction begins and the behavior tempor arily increas e s in freque n cy, duration, or intensity, this pheno m e n o n is called a(n) _____________________________.

ANS: extinction burst

7. ___________________________ is the nam e of the pheno m e n o n that happ e n s when the behavior occurs again in the future after it had been eliminat e d with extinction.

ANS: spontaneous recovery

8. A commo n misconce p t ion is that extinction simply mean s ____________________ the behavior.

ANS: ignoring

9. ____________________ reinforce m e n t prior to extinction makes the behavior more resistan t to extinction.

ANS: intermittent

10 ____________________ reinforce m e n t prior to extinction makes the behavior less resistan t to extinction.

ANS: continuous

1. T F Ignoring is the sam e as extinction.

ANS: F

2. T F When extinction is used following intermitt e n t reinforce m e n t , the behavior will be more resistan t to extinction.

ANS: T

3. T F When extinction is used following continuous reinforce m e n t , the behavior will decre a s e more quickly.

ANS: T

4. T F Extinction and negative reinforce m e n t both decre a s e a behavior.

ANS: F

5. T F For extinction to work most quickly, it is best to reinforce the behavior once extinction is initiated.

ANS: F

6. T F Sponta n e o u s recovery is when the behavior occurs again after extinction has decre a s e d the behavior to zero.

ANS: T

7. T F During an extinction burst, novel behaviors or emotion al behaviors may occur.

ANS: T

8. T F Extinction works following positive reinforce m e n t , but does not work following nega tive reinforce m e n t .

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ANS: F

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9. T F Extinction is when a behavior is no longer reinforced and as a result, the behavior stops occurring.

ANS: T

10. T F In an extinction burst , the behavior tempora rily increas e s before it decre a s e s .

ANS: T

1. Define spontan e o u s recovery following extinction.

ANS: Spontaneous recovery occurs after extinction has decreased in a behavior. It is the natural tendency for the behavior to occur again in situations that are similar to situations in which the behavior occurred prior to extinction.

2. Define extinction (be sure to include all three compon e n t s of the definition).

ANS: Extinction occurs when a behavior which has been previously reinforced no longer results in reinforcing consequences and, therefore, the behavior stops occurring in the future.

3. What are three things that may happ e n during an extinction burst?

ANS: An extinction burst is when an unreinforced behavior temporarily increases in frequency, duration, or intensity during the extinction process. An extinction burst may also involve an increase in novel behavior and an increase in emotional behavior or aggressive behavior.

4. A child cries at the grocery store and the parent gives the child candy. As a result, the child frequ e n tly cries at the store.

(a) What is the reinforcer for the child’s behavior of crying at the store?(b) How would the parent use extinction for the child’s behavior of crying in the

store?

ANS: (a) Candy; (b) When the child cries in the grocery store, the parent will not give the child candy.

5. What are the two factors that influence extinction?

ANS: The two factors that influence extinction are the reinforcement schedule prior to extinction and the occurrence of reinforcement after extinction.

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