When extinction is implemented with fidelity, the initial intensity of responding may be very high; this phenomenon is known as what?

• A. Extinction Burst
• B. Extinction
• C. Satiation
• D. Deprivation

Answer: (A)

This phenomenon is extinction burst. When reinforcement is removed as part of extinction, the organism often shows a temporary surge in responding—the behavior becomes more intense or frequent at first. This happens because the previous reinforcement contingency has changed, and the subject may continue or escalate their effort in an attempt to obtain reinforcement or due to the frustration of not receiving reinforcement. With continued extinction, the response rate then declines. Satiation and deprivation refer to motivational states that affect how much a behavior is worth reinforcing, and extinction, in general, describes withholding reinforcement; neither specifically captures the brief initial spike that characterizes an extinction burst.