title: Basic and translational evaluation of renewal of operant responding.
abstract: Treatment relapse, defined as the reemergence of problem behavior after treatment, is a serious difficulty faced by clinicians. Failures of treatment integrity (i.e., failure to implement interventions as intended) are often invoked to explain the reemergence of problem behavior. Basic studies suggest that the prevailing stimulus context might also contribute. We conducted 2 experiments in which reinforcement for a target response was followed by 2 phases of extinction with different or identical stimulus contexts relative to baseline (ABA renewal). In Experiment 1, pigeons served as subjects using procedures typical of those used in basic behavioral research. Experiment 2 was designed as a translational replication of Experiment 1, and children who had been diagnosed with autism served as participants. Returning to the previously reinforced stimulus context in both species produced a clear and immediate increase of extinguished responding. These findings are consistent with previous studies that have suggested that both reinforcement contingencies and stimulus context influence the reemergence of extinguished behavior.
authors.affiliation: THE SCOTT CENTER FOR AUTISM TREATMENT AND FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.affiliation: THE SCOTT CENTER FOR AUTISM TREATMENT AND FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
authors.forename: Clare J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Liddon
authors.affiliation: THE SCOTT CENTER FOR AUTISM TREATMENT AND FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.
authors.forename: Aurelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Abigail E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Greif
authors.affiliation: THE SCOTT CENTER FOR AUTISM TREATMENT AND FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Podlesnik
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010856:Columbidae; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
keywords: behavioral momentum theory; pigeon; renewal; translational research; treatment relapse