Chapter 24 Study Questions
1. Define extinction
Is defined as a behavior tactic occur when reinforcement of a previously
reinforced behavior is discontinued.
2. What is the first step in best practice for treating problem behavior?
Begin with an assessment to determine the function of behavior
3. Explain the difference between procedural forms of extinction and
functional forms of extinction.
Procedural forms of extinction involve ignoring the problem
behavior. Functional forms of extinction involve withholding the maintaining
reinforcers.
4. Extinction should only be used to identify:
a. Withholding the reinforcer for a previously reinforced behavior (the
procedure).
b. A decreasing response rate under an extinction procedure (the
process) or,
c. The functional relation between withholding reinforcement for a
previously reinforced behavior and the resultant diminishing rate of
response (the principle).
5. What are four common misuses of the term reinforcement?
Using extinction to refer to any decrease in behavior, confusing forgetting
and extinction, confusing response blocking and sensory extinction and
confusing non contingent reinforcement and extinction.
6. What are the three forms of extinction?
Extinction of behavior maintained by positive reinforcement, extinction of
behavior maintained by negative reinforcement and extinction of behavior
maintained by automatic reinforcement
7. Provide a hypothetical example of extinction of a behavior maintained
by positive reinforcement (not the examples from the text.)
Aline tries to get dad's attention by dropping her ball on the floor. Her dad
smiles at Aline, picks up the ball and hands it back to Aline. Dad smiling and
picks up the ball is a positive reinforcement to Aline. So dad ignoring Aline
and stop to picks up the ball consistently, Dad will reduce Aline’s behavior of
dropping the ball.
8. Provide a hypothetical example of extinction of a behavior maintained
by negative reinforcement (not the examples from the text.)
Aline engages in disruptive behavior when his teacher gives a math problem.
The teacher responding by sending Aline out to the classroom. It is likely that
Aline engages in this behavior to avoid doing math problems. The teacher
should reduce the demand, provide help to Aline resolve math problem or
teaching her request help.
9. Provide a hypothetical example of extinction of a behavior maintained
by automatic reinforcement (not the examples from the text.)
Maria likes to turn the fan switch on and off because she is visually
stimulated by the fan starting and stopping. The parents should
unplug the fan from the socket.
10.What are six secondary effects of extinction?
Extinction burst, response variation, initial increase in response magnitude,
spontaneous recovery, resurgence and emotional outburst and aggression.
11.Define extinction burst.
Is an immediate increase in the rate of response after removing positive,
negative or automatic reinforcement.
12.Define extinction-induced variability.
Is when the individual is trying another way to find new or least other ways
of obtaining reinforcement.
13.Explain the difference between spontaneous recovery and resurgence.
Spontaneous recovery involves the reappearance of the behavior after it has
diminished to its pre-reinforcement level. Resurgence refers to the
reoccurrence of previously reinforced behavior when reinforcement for
alternative behavior is terminated or decreased.
14.Continued responding during an extinction procedure is referred to as
Resistance to extinction
15.What are the three measures of resistance to extinction?
1- Declining rate of response, 2-total count of responses emitted before
responding ceases or attains some final low level, and 3- duration of time
required for behavior to reach a predetermined criterion.
16.What are the five variables that affect resistance to extinction?
Continuous and intermittent reinforcement, motivation operations, number,
magnitude, and quality of reinforcement, number of previous extinction
trials and response effort.
17.What are suggestions for using extinction effectively?
Withhold all reinforcers maintain the problem behavior, withhold
reinforcement consistently, combine extinction with other procedures, use
instructions, plan for extinction-produced aggression, increase the number of
extinction trials, include significant others in extinction, maintain extinction-
decreased behavior and guard against unintentional extinction.
18.In one instances should extinction NOT be used?
When the behavior is harmful, all sources of reinforcement cannot be
withheld, a rapid reduction in response rate is required and other are likely
to imitate the problem behavior.
