Spontaneous recovery of previously extinguished behavior as an alternative explanation for extinction-related side effects.
Extinction is accepted as a viable intervention for behaviors that are hypothesized to be maintained by contingent attentional reinforcement. However, it is frequently acknowledged that extinction has potential numerous side effects, including the generation of aggressive behavior. This explanation does not provide a behavioral conceptualization of such side effects. This article offers that spontaneous recovery of previously extinguished behavior as a behavioral explanation of side effects sometimes observed during the extinction process.
Waller
Raymond J
RJ
Piedmont College, Athens, GA, USA.
Mays
Nicole M
NM
D001288:Attention; D003289:Convalescence; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior