Resurgence with and without an alternative response.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral science
• Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Resurgence is the reemergence of a previously reinforced behavior after reinforcement is withdrawn.
• This phenomenon poses challenges in therapeutic settings, potentially undermining treatment progress by reintroducing undesirable behaviors.
• Understanding resurgence is critical for developing effective behavioral interventions.

Observation:

• This study investigated a modified resurgence procedure, varying the presence or absence of an alternative behavior during extinction.
• Participants underwent phases of target response reinforcement, extinction with differential reinforcement of an alternative, and extinction of both responses.
• The study observed resurgence patterns under different extinction conditions.

Findings:

• Greater resurgence was observed when the alternative response was absent during the final extinction phase across four out of five assessments.
• The findings indicate that the availability of an alternative behavior during extinction influences the magnitude of resurgence.
• The absence of an alternative response appears to facilitate more robust resurgence.

Implications:

• These results suggest that therapeutic strategies should consider the availability of alternative behaviors during extinction to mitigate problematic resurgence.
• Clinical interventions may need to be adapted based on whether an alternative behavior is present or absent during extinction phases.
• Further research into managing resurgence by manipulating alternative response availability could enhance treatment efficacy.