Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 29, 2025

A Procedure to Observe Context-induced Renewal of Pavlovian-conditioned Alcohol-seeking Behavior in Rats
Published on: September 19, 2014
The influence of extinction and counterconditioning procedures on operant evaluative conditioning and intersecting
Sean Hughes1, Simone Mattavelli1,2, Ian Hussey1
1Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
One of the most effective methods of influencing what people like and dislike is to expose them to systematic patterns (or 'regularities') in the environment, such as the repeated presentation of a single stimulus (mere exposure), two or more stimuli (evaluative conditioning (EC)) or to relationships between stimuli and behaviour (approach/avoidance). Hughes et al. (2016) J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 145, 731-754. (doi:10.1037/xge0000100) found that evaluations also emerge when regularities in the environment intersect with one another. In this paper, we examined if evaluations established via operant EC and intersecting regularities can be undermined via extinction or revised via counterconditioning. Across seven pre-registered studies (n = 1071), participants first completed a learning phase designed to establish novel evaluations followed by one of multiple forms of extinction or counterconditioning procedures designed to undo them. Results indicate that evaluations were-in general-resistant to extinction and counterconditioning. Theoretical and practical implications along with future directions are discussed.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement in operant conditioning can be positive or negative, both of which serve to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Positive...
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Law of Effect
Edward Thorndike's foundational work involved studying learning in animals, particularly using puzzle...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...

