Extinction changes during a series of reinforcement-extinction sessions.

1 January 1954

journal article
research article
Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology

Vol. 47 (4) , 315-317
https://doi.org/10.1037/h0053679

Abstract

Nine male rats underwent successive conditioning and extinction of a bar-pressing habit. During conditioning 15 responses were reinforced with food pellets. On the following day the animals underwent extinction for 1 hr. This sequence of conditioning and extinction was continued for 30 sessions. There was a sharp increase in the extinction responses followed by a definite decrease until about session 12. From that point on the number of extinction responses during each session was relatively low and constant. The data were interpreted within a Hullian framework, using the concept of differential stimulus traces.

Keywords

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