Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction01:24

Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction

1.0K
Generalization, discrimination, and extinction are key concepts in operant conditioning that influence how behaviors are learned and maintained.
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...
1.0K
Principles of Classical Conditioning01:23

Principles of Classical Conditioning

1.3K
Classical conditioning, as described by Ivan Pavlov, is a foundational concept in associative learning, where a neutral stimulus becomes capable of eliciting a conditioned response through association with an unconditioned stimulus. The process of acquisition, where this learning occurs, and the subsequent phenomena of contiguity, contingency, generalization, discrimination, extinction, and spontaneous recovery are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of classical conditioning.
During the...
1.3K
Instinctive Drift01:05

Instinctive Drift

421
Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors despite repeated reinforcement. Breland and Breland demonstrated this concept in an experiment with a raccoon. The raccoon was trained to pick up two coins and place them in a container in exchange for food. Initially, the raccoon learned to associate the coins with food, making them a conditioned stimulus or a substitute for food. However, over time, the raccoon became less willing to put the coins into the...
421
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness01:14

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

2.3K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
2.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Behavior, Process, and Evolution in the Multiscale Molar Paradigm.

Perspectives on behavior science·2026
Same author

From policy to practice: A framework for promoting scientific integrity in psychology.

The American psychologist·2026
Same author

Cultural evolution in the laboratory: evolution of cooperative altruistic punishing.

Evolutionary human sciences·2025
Same author

Explaining Performance on Interval and Ratio Schedules with a Molar View of Behavior.

Perspectives on behavior science·2025
Same author

Understanding resurgence and other emergent activity with the laws of allocation, induction, and covariance.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2024
Same author

A molar view of goal direction and habit.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

35.8K

Resistance to extinction versus extinction as discrimination.

Matthew C Bell1, William M Baum2

  • 1Santa Clara University.

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
|April 15, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Behavioral persistence in extinction is not a measure of response strength. Resistance to extinction following intermittent reinforcement is explained by discrimination training, not response persistence.

Keywords:
behavioral momentum theoryinductionpigeonsresistance to changeresistance to extinction

More Related Videos

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
09:07

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats

Published on: February 23, 2015

13.7K
An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice
08:35

An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice

Published on: January 22, 2016

12.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

35.8K
Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
09:07

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats

Published on: February 23, 2015

13.7K
An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice
08:35

An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice

Published on: January 22, 2016

12.4K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral psychology
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • The traditional view of response strength measured by persistence in extinction was challenged by findings that intermittent reinforcement increases persistence.
  • Discrimination theory posits that longer persistence under intermittent reinforcement is due to its similarity to extinction conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the anomaly where responding persists longer in richer components of a multiple schedule compared to leaner components.
  • To test whether the inclusion of food/no-food discrimination training impacts extinction resistance in multiple schedules.

Main Methods:

  • Experiment 1 replicated previous findings on multiple schedules with unequal components.
  • Experiment 2 modified the multiple-schedule procedure to include food/no-food discrimination training.

Main Results:

  • Experiment 1 confirmed that responding persisted longer in the richer component of a multiple schedule.
  • Experiment 2 demonstrated that with added food/no-food discrimination training, extinction resistance in multiple schedules contradicted behavioral momentum theory.
  • The results of Experiment 2 aligned with discrimination theory.

Conclusions:

  • The persistence of responding in extinction is not a direct measure of response strength.
  • Discrimination training, particularly regarding food availability, is crucial for understanding resistance to extinction.
  • Findings support discrimination theory over behavioral momentum theory when food/no-food discrimination is trained.