Extinction is a procedure used in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to decrease or eliminate negative behaviors. It involves discontinuing reinforcement that inadvertently encourages these behaviors. (Using Extinction to Reduce Problem Behavior - Special Learning Article, 2023)
2. Extinction
Extinction is a procedure used in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to decrease
or eliminate negative behaviors. It involves discontinuing reinforcement that
inadvertently encourages these behaviors. (Using Extinction to Reduce Problem
Behavior - Special Learning Article, 2023)
Extinction occurs when
1. A behavior that has been previously reinforced
2. no longer results in the reinforcing consequences
3. and, therefore, the behavior stops occurring in the future.
3. Example
Rae attends a class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8 A.M. Before the class,
she purchases coffee from the coffee machine by inserting a dollar and pushing the
button. However, one day the machine doesn't work despite her multiple attempts at
pushing the button. She tries again after a week, but the machine still doesn't work. As
a result, she starts getting her coffee from a convenience store on her way to school
and never tries using the machine again.
Response
Rae puts
money in
the coffee
machine.
Consequences
No coffee
comes out of
the coffee
machine
Outcome
Rae is less likely to put
money in the coffee
machine in the future
4. Example…
A child was at the market and wanted a toy, but his parents did not
give it to him. As a result, he lay down on the ground and started
screaming and weeping, hoping that his demand would be fulfilled.
However, his parents did not give in to his demands. He wept for
some time and then stopped. The next time he was at the market, he
repeated the same behavior, hoping to get the toy, but he did not get
it. After some time, he stopped weeping and did not repeat the
behavior.
Response:
weeping
Consequenc
es: get toy
Outcome: stopped
weeping in the
market
5. Example…
Skinner (1938) and Ferster and Skinner (1957) demonstrated the principle of
extinction with laboratory animals. When the pigeon in the experimental chamber
no longer received food as a reinforcer for pecking the key, the pigeon’s key-
pecking behavior stopped. When the laboratory rat no longer received food
pellets for pressing the lever, the lever-pressing behavior decreased and
eventually stopped.
Williams (1959) illustrated the effectiveness of extinction in decreasing the
nighttime tantrums of a young child. Because Williams had determined that the
child’s tantrum behavior was being reinforced by the parents’ attention, the
extinction procedure called for the parents to refrain from providing attention
when the child engaged in tantrum behaviors at night.
6. Extinction Brust
The extinction process is that once the behavior is no longer reinforced, it
often increases briefly in frequency, duration, or intensity before it
decreases and ultimately stops. An increase in frequency, duration, or
intensity of the unreinforced behavior during the extinction process is
called an extinction burst
In the first example, Rae repeatedly pushed the coffee machine button
with increasing frequency and intensity before giving up.
In the second example child weeps for more time and with a louder voice
In the third example The first night, she cried for 25 minutes before
falling asleep. By the end of the week, she quit crying at all at bedtime
7. Extinction Brust…
Extinction bursts can trigger novel behaviors briefly after a behavior is no
longer reinforced. the novel behaviors during extinction bursts may
include emotional responses
In the first example, Rae not only pushed the button on the coffee
machine repeatedly when the coffee didn’t come out, but she also pushed
the coin return button and shook the machine
In the second example, the child not only weeps loudly but also tries to
hit anyone who tries to reach him.
In next example she cried longer and louder (increased duration and
intensity), but she also screamed and hit her pillow (novel behaviors).
8. Extinction Brust…
When a behavior is no longer reinforced, the consequences may be
as follows.
The behavior may briefly increase in frequency, duration, or
intensity.
Novel behaviors may occur.
Emotional responses or aggressive behavior may occur
9. Spontaneous recovery
"Spontaneous recovery" refers to the natural tendency for
a behavior to recur in situations that are similar to those in
which it occurred before extinction. However, if
extinction is still in place when spontaneous recovery
occurs and there is no reinforcement, the behavior will
not continue for long.
10. Procedural variations of extinction
Behavior extinction decreases and stops a behavior, regardless of whether it is
positively or negatively reinforced. To stop positively reinforced behavior, withhold
the consequence that was previously delivered after the behavior. To stop negatively
reinforced behavior, eliminate the escape or avoidance that was reinforcing the
behavior.
Shahida has an 11 P.M. time limit, and if she comes home later, her parents scold her,
lecture her, and ground her for a week. They don't know when she comes home
because they go to bed at 10 P.M. The next morning, they ask her when she arrived
home, and if she came in after 11 P.M., Shahida lies to avoid punishment. Her lying is
negatively reinforced because it helps her avoid the consequences. If her parents
knew when she came home, she would stop lying when she got home late.
11. Misconception about extinction
Extinction stops a behavior by removing its reinforcement.
However, ignoring a problem’s behavior doesn't always work.
Ignoring works as extinction only if attention is the reinforcement.
For example, if a person shoplifts, ignoring the behavior doesn't
stop it. Similarly, if a child runs from the table, ignoring the
behavior doesn't work. Running is reinforced by escaping from
eating vegetables. Ignoring the behavior doesn't remove this
reinforcement, so it doesn't function as extinction.
12. Factors influence the extinction
Two important factors influence the extinction process: the reinforcement
schedule before extinction and the occurrence of reinforcement after
extinction.
The reinforcement schedule partly determines whether extinction results
in a rapid decrease in the behavior or a more gradual decrease
Intermittent reinforcement occurs when a behavior is only occasionally
reinforced, and continuous reinforcement happens when a behavior is
reinforced every time. Research shows that when a behavior is
continuously reinforced, it decreases quickly once the reinforcement
stops. However, when a behavior is intermittently reinforced, it often
decreases more gradually.
13. Factors influence the extinction…
Reinforcement during extinction delays the decrease of behavior.
This is due to intermittent reinforcement, which makes the behavior
more resistant to extinction. It also increases the likelihood of
spontaneous recovery of the behavior to its level before extinction.
After 14 days of extinction, the child stopped crying at night.
However, if the babysitter had talked to the child on day 13, it
would have reinforced the crying behavior, causing it to last for
many more days due to intermittent reinforcement.
14. References
Using Extinction to Reduce Problem Behavior - Special Learning Article. (2023,
August 10). Special Learning. https://special-learning.com/extinction-in-
aba/#:~:text=Extinction%20refers%20to%20a%20procedure,negative%20(or%20pr
oblem)%20behaviors.
Miltenberger, R. G. (2016, January 1). Behavior Modification: Principles and
Procedures. Nelson Education.
http://books.google.ie/books?id=rmyECwAAQBAJ&dq=%5BRaymond_G._Miltenb
erger%5D_Behaviour_Modification_(BookFi.org).pdf&hl=&cd=1&source=gbs_api
