Association for Behavior Analysis International

Resurgence, a form of behavioral relapse, refers to the recurrence of a previously reduced behavior following changes in reinforcement conditions, specifically after the decrease or cessation of reinforcement for an alternative behavior. The symposium will present recent experimental and applied studies exploring the dynamics of resurgence under varying reinforcement conditions and procedures. The first study compares the differential effects of positive and negative reinforcement on resurgence, with findings indicating that extinction arrangements for negatively reinforced behaviors, such as the presence or absence of an aversive stimulus, significantly influence the likelihood of resurgence. The second study examines resurgence under differential reinforcement of alternative (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedules, controlling for the number of response options. The results suggest that resurgence is not necessarily increased by DRO when response options are balanced. The third presentation focuses on sex differences in voluntary abstinence and resurgence of alcohol-seeking behaviors in Long-Evans rats under different DRO schedules. Finally, the fourth study investigates treatment variables, including reinforcement downshifts and schedule thinning, that affect the magnitude of resurgence in clinical interventions for challenging behaviors. Across these studies, key factors influencing resurgence are identified, offering insights for both experimental research and applied behavior analysis.

Resurgence is a type of relapse that consists of the recurrence of a previously eliminated response following worsening reinforcement conditions for an alternative response and can occur following histories of positive or negative reinforcement. The studies that will be discussed compared the differential effects of positive and negative reinforcement and different extinction arrangements for negatively reinforced responding. In the present studies, college students responded on a computer program to earn points (positive reinforcement) and to avoid losing points (negative reinforcement). Both Experiments 1 and 2 evaluated resurgence when both target and alternative responses were maintained by positive or negative reinforcement. In Experiment 1, extinction of the negatively reinforced response was arranged so that no aversive stimulus occurred (i.e., responding was no longer necessary). In Experiment 2, extinction of the negatively reinforced response was arranged so that the aversive stimulus was unavoidable (i.e., responding didn’t work). Resurgence of the negatively reinforced response occurred when extinction was arranged so that the aversive stimulus was not avoidable (Experiment 2) but not when no aversive stimulus occurred (Experiment 1). Limitations of the research and implications for future experimental and applied work will be discussed.

Resurgence, a form of behavioral relapse, occurs when a previously reduced target behavior reemerges after an alternative source of reinforcement is discontinued. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) are commonly used strategies to reduce undesired behaviors. Although both are effective, unanticipated periods of extinction (e.g., service lapses or staff turnover) may lead to resurgence of the original target behavior. Romano and St. Peter (2017) found that behavior reduced via DRO was more prone to resurgence than behavior reduced via DRA. However, their study used a different number of response options between conditions (one for DRO, two for DRA), which may have influenced the outcomes. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend Romano and St. Peter by comparing resurgence following DRO and DRA in a human operant arrangement while controlling for the number of response options across conditions. Overall, results showed that DRO did not increase the likelihood or magnitude of resurgence when the number of response options were kept constant.

The current experiment evaluated whether the rate of abstinence-dependent reinforcement affected voluntary abstinence from, and resurgence of, alcohol seeking in Long-Evans rats. During baseline, male and female rats pressed levers to self-administer a 10% ethanol solution according to a variable-interval 15-s schedule. During Phase 2, ethanol remained available. For the Rich and Lean groups, pausing from lever pressing produced food pellets according to a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) 5-s or 20-s schedule, respectively. Rats in the No-Treatment group received no DRO food. In Phase 3, ethanol and food was suspended to test of resurgence. Lever pressing decrease more quickly and completely during Phase 2, and resurged to a greater extent during Phase 3, for female rats in the Rich group than for female rats in the Lean group. The opposite was true for male rats. That is, pressing decreased more quickly and subsequently resurged more for male rats in the Lean group than for male rats in the Rich group. Possible explanations for these sex differences in voluntary abstinence and resurgence will be discussed.

Despite the efficacy of behavioral interventions, resurgence of challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury) following successful treatment can still occur. Applied work has focused on identifying treatment-related variables thought to affect the occurrence and magnitude of resurgence. The current study describes the relation between several variables and resurgence in a retrospective consecutive controlled case series of 46 treatment applications for challenging behavior conducted in an inpatient setting. Specifically, we evaluated the relation between the magnitude of resurgence and the following test variables: phase duration, response rates in baseline, response rates in treatment, obtained rates of reinforcement during baseline, obtained rates of reinforcement during treatment, and the downshift in reinforcement step size during schedule thinning. Overall, only the downshift in reinforcement (e.g., schedule-thinning) step size was correlated with the magnitude of resurgence. These results are consistent with recent findings suggesting that treatment duration and other factors have inconsistent effects on resurgence of challenging behavior