Extinction: Behavior Reduction

• Extinction occurs when reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior is discontinued, leading to a decrease in the occurrence of that behavior in the future.
• Extinction does not prevent the target behavior from occurring; it terminates the response-reinforcer relation.

Procedural and Functional Forms of Extinction

• The form of extinction used should match the function of the problem behavior for the intervention to be effective.

Misuses of a Technical Term

• Extinction should only be used to identify the withholding of a reinforcer for a previously reinforced behavior.
• Extinction also refers to a decreasing response rate under an extinction procedure and to the functional relation between withholding reinforcement and the diminishing rate of response.
• Avoid using the term extinction to describe any decrease in behavior, confuse it with forgetting, response blocking, sensory extinction, or noncontingent reinforcement.

Extinction Semantics

• Using "extinction" to treat Yoshiaki's inappropriate call-outs suggests it is being referenced as a behavior change procedure.
• "Yoshiaki's call-outs are undergoing extinction" suggests behavior is undergoing a behavioral process.
• Saying "Extinction decreased Yoshiaki's call-outs" suggests extinction is a principle of behavior.
• Saying Audrey's second-language skills have extinguished after not speaking Italian suggests the behavior lacks reinforcement.
• Escape extinction as treatment is correctly identified as the function-based form of extinction.
• Blocking eye-rubbing confuses response blocking with extinction, since extinction would allow the rubbing but remove the reinforcing sensory stimulation.

Extinction by Reinforcement Type

• Behaviors maintained by positive reinforcement are placed on extinction when they no longer produce the reinforcer
• Behaviors maintained by negative reinforcement are placed on extinction when they no longer result in the removal of the aversive stimulus; also known as escape extinction.
• Behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement are placed on extinction by masking or removing the sensory consequence; also known as sensory extinction.

Secondary Effects of Extinction

• Extinction Burst: An immediate increase in the rate of response after removing reinforcement is a common effect.
• Problem behaviors can worsen during extinction before showing improvement.
• Response Variation: Diverse and novel forms of behavior may appear as the individual tries to find new ways to obtain reinforcement; this is also called extinction-induced variability.
• Initial Increase in Response Magnitude indicates that a response may occur stronger
• Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of the behavior after it has diminished to pre-reinforcement levels is short-lived and limited if extinction remains in effect, but recurs even without reinforcement.
• Resurgence is the reoccurrence of a previously reinforced behavior when reinforcement for an alternative behavior is terminated or decreased.
• Emotional Outbursts and Aggression are emotional or aggressive behaviors evoked by placing a behavior on extinction.

Variables Affecting Resistance to Extinction

• Resistance to Extinction: Continued responding during an extinction procedure can be measured by declining rate of response, total responses emitted, or duration of time required for the behavior to reach a criterion.
• Continuous and Intermittent Reinforcement: Intermittent reinforcement causes a greater resistance to extinction, especially with thinner schedules of reinforcement.
• Motivating Operations: The strength of the establishing operation influences resistance to extinction, which is greater under high motivation.
• Number, Magnitude, and Quality of Reinforcement: A behavior with a long history of reinforcement and high-quality reinforcers is more resistant to extinction.
• Number of Previous Extinction Trials: Successive applications of conditioning and extinction influence resistance.
• With each successive application of extinction, the behavior diminishes more rapidly.
• Response Effort: Responses requiring greater effort diminish more quickly during extinction.

Using Extinction Effectively

• Withholding all Reinforcers: Identify and withhold all consequences maintaining the problem behavior and always withhold reinforcement consistently.
• Combine Extinction with Other Procedures, especially reinforcement of alternative behaviors.
• Differential reinforcement and antecedent procedures may reduce extinction bursts and aggression.
• Use Instructions: Behaviors may diminish more quickly when practitioners describe the extinction procedure to clients.
• Plan for Extinction-Produced Aggression and ensure extinction-produced aggression does not produce reinforcement.
• The more you Increase the Number of Extinction Trials, the better, but increase trials only when the problem behavior can be tolerated during intervention.
• Keep the extinction maximally effective by including Significant Others in Extinction.
• A permanent application of extinction is preferred to Maintain Extinction-Decreased Behavior.
• These include escape, attention, and sensory extinction.
• Guard Against Unintentional Extinction by ensuring desirable behaviors continue to be reinforced.

When Not to Use Extinction

• Extinction may not be appropriate if the behavior is harmful, all sources of reinforcement cannot be withheld, a rapid reduction in response rate is required, or others are likely to imitate the problem behavior.