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

839
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...
839
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

161
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...
161
Principles of Classical Conditioning01:23

Principles of Classical Conditioning

1.1K
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...
1.1K
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

221
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
221
Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis01:20

Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis

2.3K
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.
2.3K
Reinforcement Schedules01:24

Reinforcement Schedules

244
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,...
244

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The partial reinforcement extinction effect: Learning about trial sequences or time to reinforcement.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same author

Information, certainty, and learning.

eLife·2026
Same author

Learning about trial sequences disrupts the partial reinforcement extinction effect in classical conditioning.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2024
Same author

The sequencing of trials during partial reinforcement affects subsequent extinction.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2023
Same author

The learning curve, revisited.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2022
Same author

Pavlovian conditioning under partial reinforcement: The effects of nonreinforced trials versus cumulative conditioned stimulus duration.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2020
Same journal

Time does the teaching.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same journal

Language learning in canines and toddlers: Shared origins?

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same journal

The role of outcome affective value in driving human Pavlovian learning.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same journal

Crashing the tea party: Imagining alternative explanations.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same journal

Static outcomes: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation at Fp3 or P3 does not modulate perceptual learning as indexed by the intermixed-blocked effect.

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
Same journal

A method for visual psychophysics based on the navigational behavior of desert ants (Melophorus bagoti).

Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 23, 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

35.6K

Delaying extinction weakens the partial reinforcement extinction effect.

Shanae E Norton1, Justin A Harris1

  • 1School of Psychology.

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Animal Learning and Cognition
|May 13, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Time delays can impair memory retrieval for nonreinforced experiences. This leads to spontaneous recovery of extinguished responses and weakens the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) in rats.

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

13.5K
Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
05:49

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published on: October 13, 2018

12.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 23, 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

35.6K
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

13.5K
Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
05:49

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published on: October 13, 2018

12.2K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral neuroscience
  • Learning and memory

Background:

  • Extinguished conditioned responding can spontaneously recover after a delay.
  • This suggests memory impairment of nonreinforced experiences.
  • Time delays can also affect responding established by partial reinforcement schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To confirm Rescorla's findings on time delays and nonreinforcement.
  • To assess the impact of delay on the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE).

Main Methods:

  • Pavlovian conditioning procedures with rats.
  • Measuring magazine activity during a conditioned stimulus (CS) signaling food.
  • Assessing the effect of delay periods on responding and PREE.

Main Results:

  • Responding acquired under partial reinforcement did not spontaneously increase after a delay.
  • A significant reduction in the PREE was observed after the delay.
  • Time selectively affects the retrieval of nonreinforcement memories.

Conclusions:

  • Time produces spontaneous recovery by impairing extinction memory retrieval.
  • Time weakens the PREE by impairing retrieval of partial reinforcement memories.