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| Basic and Applied Research on Extinction Bursts and Resurgence |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 3:00 PM–4:50 PM |
| Marriott Marquis, M4 Level, Independence E-H |
| Area: DDA/EAB; Domain: Translational |
| Chair: Wayne W. Fisher (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) |
| Discussant: Dorothea C. Lerman (University of Houston-Clear Lake) |
| CE Instructor: Wayne W. Fisher, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Differential reinforcement of alternative (DRA) behavior is an effective intervention for decreasing problem behavior. However, DRA with extinction can produce extinction-induced adverse side effects, such as extinction bursts and resurgence. Extinction bursts involve an increase in the frequency of a target response at the start of extinction for that response. Resurgence is an increase in a previously extinguished target response when reinforcement conditions for the alternative response worsen. The studies in this symposium evaluated predictions of the temporally weighted matching law, which may account for both extinction bursts and resurgence (Shahan, 2022). First, Avellaneda and colleagues investigated extinction bursts following changes in magnitude of alternative reinforcement with rats. Kishel and colleagues evaluated extinction bursts following magnitude manipulations among children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Next, Calabrese and colleagues evaluated extinction bursts following rate manipulations of alternative reinforcement in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Finally, Thuman and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of extinction bursts of alternative behavior and resurgence of target behavior during terminal probes for schedule thinning in applications of functional communication training. The symposium will close with a discussion by Dr. Dorothea Lerman. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): extinction burst, matching law, resurgence, translational research |
| Target Audience: This symposium is for graduate students, practitioners, and researchers who have at least a basic understanding of the processes of differential reinforcement and extinction. |
Learning Objectives: 1. describe the most common definition of the extinction burst
2. list three parameters of reinforcement that can influence the probability of an extinction burst
3. describe at least one similarity and one difference between the extinction burst and resurgence |
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| The Extinction Burst: Effects of Alternative Reinforcement Magnitude |
| (Basic Research) |
| MATIAS ALEJANDRO AVELLANEDA (Utah State University), Timothy A. Shahan (Utah State University) |
| Abstract: An extinction burst is a transitory increase in an operant behavior soon after it is placed on extinction. A recent quantitative model based on the matching law posits that the extinction burst is the result of the elimination of competition from reinforcement-related behavior that accompanies the transition to extinction. Consistent with this suggestion, reviews of clinical cases suggest the extinction burst might be mitigated by the availability of alternative sources of reinforcement during the transition to extinction, but there has been no basic research on this question. In this experiment, lever pressing of rats was reinforced with one food pellet during baseline before a within-session transition to extinction. For one group, no alternative reinforcement was available during extinction. For two other groups, an alternative lever was provided and produced either one or six pellet reinforcers. The extinction burst was only observed for the group without alternative reinforcement. Furthermore, target lever pressing was lower during extinction for the 6-pellet group than for the 1-pellet group. The data were well described by the model, providing support to the competition-based approach in accounting for the extinction burst. |
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| Effects of Magnitude of Reinforcement on Extinction Bursts of Destructive Behavior During Treatment |
| (Basic Research) |
| CATHERINE KISHEL (Rutgers University), Wayne W. Fisher (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School), Brian D. Greer (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School), Timothy A. Shahan (Utah State University), Casey Irwin Helvey (Rutgers University (RUCARES)), Daniel R. Mitteer (Emory University) |
| Abstract: This study is part of a larger collaborative research project that examines the effects of various parameters of reinforcement (i.e., reinforcer rate, magnitude, quality, and combinations thereof) on the prevalence and magnitude of extinction bursts of target responding during treatments implemented with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. The present study examined changes in reinforcer magnitude in the clinic for individuals referred for the treatment of destructive behavior. We examined extinction bursts of destructive behavior and relative treatment effects when treatment procedures arranged extinction for destructive behavior and (a) no change in the magnitude of alternative reinforcement relative to baseline, (b) a drop in the magnitude of alternative reinforcement relative to baseline, or (c) extinction for alternative responding. Preliminary results from the clinic suggest that reinforcer magnitude affects treatment efficacy when treatment procedures arrange differential reinforcement and extinction for target responding. Analysis of these early findings will be discussed in context of the present study and with respect to the larger aims of the collaborative project. |
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| Effects of Rate of Reinforcement on Extinction Bursts of Destructive Behavior During Treatment |
| (Applied Research) |
| TRICIA LYNN CALABRESE (Rutgers University), Wayne W. Fisher (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School), Brian D. Greer (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School), Timothy A. Shahan (Utah State University), Catherine Kishel (Rutgers University), Casey Irwin Helvey (Rutgers University (RUCARES)), Daniel R. Mitteer (Emory University) |
| Abstract: This study is part of a larger collaborative research project that examines the effects of various parameters of reinforcement (i.e., reinforcer rate, magnitude, quality, and combinations thereof) on the prevalence and magnitude of extinction bursts of target responding during treatments implemented with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. The present study examined changes in reinforcer rate in the clinic for individuals referred for the treatment of destructive behavior. We examined extinction bursts of destructive behavior and relative treatment effects when treatment procedures arranged extinction for destructive behavior and (a) no change in the rate of alternative reinforcement relative to baseline, (b) a drop in the rate of alternative reinforcement relative to baseline, or (c) extinction for alternative responding. Preliminary results from the clinic suggest that reinforcer rate affects treatment efficacy when treatment procedures arrange differential reinforcement and extinction for target responding. Analysis of these early findings will be discussed in context of the present study and with respect to the larger aims of the collaborative project. |
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Extinction Bursts and Resurgence during Schedule Thinning With the Terminal Schedule Probe Method |
| (Applied Research) |
| ELIZABETH PAIGE THUMAN (Kennedy Krieger Institute; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), Michelle D. Chin (The Kennedy Krieger Institute), Craig Strohmeier (Kennedy Krieger Institute) |
| Abstract: Schedule thinning with compound schedules of reinforcement (e.g., multiple schedules) is effective for reducing reinforcement density during treatment of severe problem behavior. Extinction programmed within the compound schedules may induce transient increases in behavior. When an alternative behavior (i.e., functional communication response [FCR]) is trained and then contacts extinction during schedule thinning, increases in target behavior (i.e., severe problem behavior) may be considered resurgence; whereas increases in alternative behavior may be considered an extinction burst. Transient increases in alternative or target behavior may be problematic and lead to treatment integrity errors. Contemporary quantitative formulations suggest that resurgence and extinction bursts may result from the same principles governing choice (Shahan, 2022), therefore, a better understanding of these processes may inform treatment for severe problem behavior. In the current retrospective analysis, we examined the prevalence of extinction bursts of alternative behavior and resurgence of target behavior during terminal schedule probes (Strohmeier et al., 2024) for 69 consecutively encountered participants. Within session data analysis indicated extinction bursts of alternative behavior and resurgence of target behavior for some participants, but neither were uniformly present. We describe the characteristics and report the prevalence of each process and discuss clinical implications for schedule thinning. |
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