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Eliminating behavior with reinforcement.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

|November 1, 1971

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Behavioral economics research shows that withholding rewards for not responding is more effective than extinction in reducing unwanted behaviors. Spontaneous recovery of behavior was observed only during extinction periods.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral psychology
Animal behavior studies

Background:

Fixed-ratio schedules are common in operant conditioning.
Understanding response suppression is key to behavior modification.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare the efficacy of extinction versus contingent non-response reinforcement in suppressing behavior.
To investigate spontaneous recovery under different schedules of reinforcement.

Main Methods:

Subjects responded on a fixed-ratio schedule for food reinforcement.
Key color alternated between red and blue, with durations adjusted for equal response rates.
Reinforcement was later changed to contingent on non-responding during one color, or extinction during the other.

Main Results:

Contingent non-response reinforcement led to faster response rate reduction than extinction.
Spontaneous recovery of responding was observed exclusively during the extinction stimulus.

Conclusions:

Contingent reinforcement of non-responding is a potent method for behavior suppression.
Extinction procedures may lead to different patterns of response recovery compared to other schedules.