Date of Award
12-2011
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. R. Wayne Fuqua
Second Advisor
Dr. Stephanie Peterson
Third Advisor
Dr. Alan Poling
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
The resurgence of a previously extinguished response can be an undesired result when implementing behavioral interventions in applied settings. Many behavioral interventions are based on differential reinforcement procedures where reinforcement is withheld for engaging in aberrant behavior (extinction), and reinforcement delivery is instead implemented as a programmedconsequence an appropriate alternative behavior. Reinforcement may become unavailable for engaging in appropriate behavior due to unintentional lapses in procedural fidelity or the removal or thinning of the alternative reinforcement schedule. This study investigated one possibility for reducing the probability of resurgence, or the extent to which a response resurges, in the event a behavioral intervention is removed or compromised. A punishment procedure was superimposed on a differential reinforcement schedule in laboratory rats to determine to what extent the previously extinguished behavior resurged. The resurgence patterns in the experimental group were compared to a control group that experienced without punishment. The data indicate that the addition of concurrent punishment to the alternative reinforcement procedure can reduce, and in some cases eliminate, future resurgence.
Recommended Citation
Kestner, Kathryn, "The Effects of Punishment on Resurgence in Laboratory Rats" (2011). Masters Theses. 458.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/458