Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective.
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant...

Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction

Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction

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...

Principles of Classical Conditioning

Principles of Classical Conditioning

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...

Reinforcement Schedules

Reinforcement Schedules

Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...

Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis

Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis

Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Neural circuits for valence updating in social memory.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

[Preface].

Nihon yakurigaku zasshi. Folia pharmacologica Japonica·2026

Same author

[Neurobiology of pair-bonded sociality in prairie voles].

Nihon yakurigaku zasshi. Folia pharmacologica Japonica·2026

Same author

Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Changes in Facial Expression and Orofacial Movement in Mice.

Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026

Same author

Arecoline Facilitates Object Recognition in Mice.

Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin·2026

Same author

Rice-memolin modulates prefrontal neural oscillations during sleep.

Journal of pharmacological sciences·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

Delayed reinforcement hinders subsequent extinction.

Yusuke Shibata¹, Airi Yoshimoto¹, Kotaro Yamashiro¹

¹Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

|January 7, 2022

Summary

Reinforcement learning in rats shows that the timing of rewards influences behavior. Delayed rewards during reinforcement learning led to more persistent responses during extinction, suggesting independent neural mechanisms for reinforcement and extinction.

Keywords:

Medial forebrain bundle Nose poke Rat Reward

More Related Videos

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Published on: June 7, 2018

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Published on: June 7, 2018

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Science
Psychology

Background:

Operant conditioning involves associating behaviors with reinforcers, increasing response probability.
Reinforcement effectiveness is linked to timing intervals, but their impact on extinction is unclear.
The medial forebrain bundle (MFB) is a key component of the brain's reward system.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how time intervals between reinforcement and response affect subsequent extinction.
To explore the neural mechanisms underlying reinforcement and extinction in operant conditioning.

Main Methods:

Rats performed an operant task involving nose pokes.
Electrical stimulation of the rat medial forebrain bundle (MFB) served as a reinforcer.
Two conditions were tested: immediate (0.1s) and delayed (1s) MFB stimulation after nose pokes.

Main Results:

Rats increased nose-poke behavior during the reinforcement period in both immediate and delayed conditions.
During extinction, nose pokes were more persistent in the delayed condition compared to the immediate condition.
Persistent extinction responses were independent of reinforcement period responses.

Conclusions:

Reinforcement and extinction appear to be governed by independent neural mechanisms.
The timing of reinforcement significantly influences the persistence of behavior during extinction.
Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into learning and memory processes.