What is the term for a brief, initial surge of responses when extinction is first applied?

What is the term for a brief, initial surge of responses when extinction is first applied?

• A. Intermittent Reinforcement Schedule
• B. Generalization
• C. Extinction Burst
• D. Cumulative Record

Answer: (C)

When a behavior that was reinforced in the past is no longer reinforced, there is often a brief, temporary spike in responding as the individual tests whether reinforcement might still be available. This is called an extinction burst. It reflects the organism’s initial attempt to obtain the previous reward and usually occurs soon after extinction starts, peaking early and then diminishing as the nonreinforcement continues. For example, a child who used to gain attention by raising their hand may raise it even more for a short period once attention is no longer given, or a rat might press a lever more for a brief time after reinforcement stops. This burst is a normal part of the extinction process and does not indicate that extinction has failed. Intermittent reinforcement involves reinforcing only some responses, which can affect how stubborn extinction is but isn’t the burst itself. Generalization is responding to stimuli that are similar to those that originally produced reinforcement, not the sudden initial increase. A cumulative record is just a way of displaying the total number of responses over time, not a behavioral phenomenon that occurs at the start of extinction.

When a behavior that was reinforced in the past is no longer reinforced, there is often a brief, temporary spike in responding as the individual tests whether reinforcement might still be available. This is called an extinction burst. It reflects the organism’s initial attempt to obtain the previous reward and usually occurs soon after extinction starts, peaking early and then diminishing as the nonreinforcement continues.

For example, a child who used to gain attention by raising their hand may raise it even more for a short period once attention is no longer given, or a rat might press a lever more for a brief time after reinforcement stops. This burst is a normal part of the extinction process and does not indicate that extinction has failed.

Intermittent reinforcement involves reinforcing only some responses, which can affect how stubborn extinction is but isn’t the burst itself. Generalization is responding to stimuli that are similar to those that originally produced reinforcement, not the sudden initial increase. A cumulative record is just a way of displaying the total number of responses over time, not a behavioral phenomenon that occurs at the start of extinction.