Effects of Extinction Persisting through Reconditioning

Abstract

Changes in extinction responses between repeated extinctions were studied under conditions producing large decreases between the first two extinctions (continuous reinforcement, trial procedure). In a base group with 30 conditioning and 350 extinction trials, responses on the first 50 extinction trials were 49% less on the second extinction than on the first. Decreasing extinction trials to 50 eliminated the decrease between extinctions. Increasing conditioning trials to 270, or food during extinction (not correlated with pressing) increased responses on each extinction, but without eliminating significant decreases between extinctions. The size of the decrease between extinctions, its dependence on extinction trials, and independence of both conditioning trials and feeding, indicate the decrease is not due to discrimination, or motivational changes from food withdrawal. Instead the results indicate some residual effect (other than stimulus control by stimuli differing between conditioning and extinction) persists through reconditioning, where it is not visible, and produces a faster second extinction.