Persistence: The role of partial reinforcement in psychotherapy.

Abstract

Persistence, which refers to the ability of a learned behavior to survive protracted nonreinforcement (extinction), has been an overlooked dimension of clinical intervention. While persistence of newly acquired coping behavior is desired (and possibly assumed) by all psychotherapeutic procedures, few treatment programs possess features that operate to sustain responding in the face of a nonsupportive, nonreinforcing environment. The present article presents a treatment strategy designed to foster persistence based on the laboratory findings that partial reinforcement schedules produce greater resistance to extinction than continuous reinforcement schedules-a phenomenon referred to as the partial reinforcement extinction effect. The two major theories of persistence (Amsel's general theory of persistence and Capaldi's sequential theory) are discussed, and the basic principles of these models are extended to a number of therapeutic modalities including depression therapies, systematic desensitization, assertiveness training, and aversion therapy. In addition, procedural considerations including generalized and discriminated persistence are discussed.

Behaviorally inhibited temperament is associated with severity of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and faster eyeblink conditioning in veterans

“…This is consistent with the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE), an increased resistance to extinction that is observed after training with partial reinforcement, as compared to paradigms where reinforcement is present on every trial during training (for review, see Nation and Woods 1980; Flaherty 1985). Among several theories that have been put forward to explain the PREE is the sequential theory of Capaldi (1966); at its simplest, this theory acknowledges that, during acquisition under conditions of partial reinforcement, subjects learn that trials on which the CS is not paired with the US are often followed by trials where the CS and US are paired; thus, on any given trial, the current CS may be paired with the US, even if it was not so paired on the previous trial.…”

A Behavioral Model of Infant Sleep Disturbance

“…Extinction may fail because of the occurrence of a response burst (France & Hudson, 1990;France et al, 1991;Lawton et al, 1991;Seymour, 1987, C. Williams, 1959. Unsuccessful attempts to use extinction may inadvertently make the problem worse, because reinforcement is resumed when the behavior has reached new levels of intensity and persistence, and the experience of partial, intermittent reinforcement should increase future resistance to extinction (Nation & Woods, 1980). Nevin (1988) has recently challenged the conventional view on the strengthening of behavior by intermittent reinforcement.…”

Treatment length as a determinant of immunization against learned helplessness in humans

“…This prediction derives from the "overtraining extinction effect," which with animals occurs when abbreviated training produces greater resistance to extinction than does extended acquisition training. This phenomenon has been observed in the infrahuman laboratory on numerous occasions (e.g., 0090-5054/81/010019-04$00.65/0 Traupmann, 1972) and is viewed as consistent with frustration theory (see Nation & Woods, 1980). So, as a formal test of these quite different theoretical perspectives, college students experienced the inducement of helplessness, reversal training with either an abbreviated or extended session of continuous or partial reinforcement, and, fmally, a second period of uncontrollability (extinction).…”