Chapter 8 – Decreasing a Behavior With Operant Extinction

Operant extinction is most effective when combined with positive reinforcement for some desirable alternative behavior. It is important to consider the setting in which operant extinction will be carried out to minimize the influence of alternative reinforcers on the undesirable behavior to be extinguished and maximize the chances of the behavior modifier persisting with the program. During operant extinction, behavior may increase before it begins to decrease. Thus, extinction bursting is something that everyone who attempts to apply an operant extinction procedure should know about. Another option would be to conduct an operant extinction program in a setting in which a certain amount of aggression can be tolerated. Although these characteristics of spontaneous recovery are well documented in basic research, it has not been formally studied in applied research, and very few anecdotal reports of spontaneous recovery occurring in applications of operant extinction have been reported.