Reacquisition following extinction in appetitive conditioning

Ricker, Sean T.; Bouton, Mark E.

doi:10.3758/bf03199014

Cited by 115 publications

(159 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…One of these forms of relapse described in the literature is rapid reacquisition (Ricker & Bouton, 1996). Rapid reacquisition refers to the effect that, after extinction, if the cue is again paired with the outcome with which it was previously associated, this new learning is faster than the original learning, indicating a carry-over effect of the original learning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Slower reacquisition after partial extinction in human contingency learning.

Morís¹,

Barberia

Vadillo³

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

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Extinction is a very relevant learning phenomenon from a theoretical and applied point of view. One of its most relevant features is that relapse phenomena often take place once the extinction training has been completed. Accordingly, as extinction-based therapies constitute the most widespread empirically validated treatment of anxiety disorders, one of their most important limitation is this potential relapse. We provide the first demonstration of relapse reduction in human contingency learning using mild aversive stimuli. This effect was found after partial extinction (i.e., reinforced trials were occasionally experienced during extinction, Experiment 1) and progressive extinction treatments (Experiment 3), and it was not only due to differences in uncertainty levels between the partial and a standard extinction group (Experiment 2). The theoretical explanation of these results, the potential uses of this strategy in applied situations, and its current limitations are discussed.Keywords: Extinction, contingency learning, relapse, aversive learning Slower reacquisition after partial extinction 2 Learning relationships between different events relevant to organisms is ubiquitous, and takes place almost constantly (Clark, 2013;Friston, 2003). Most of the time, this acquired knowledge is helpful, as it is the basis of useful predictions about future events or inferences about their relationships. However, it can also be maladaptive. For example, in many anxiety disorders, seemingly harmless cues may become associated to strong and disruptive emotional responses, leading to distress and daily problems for those suffering them (Beckers, Krypotos, Boddez, Effting, & Kindt, 2013;Mineka & Zinbarg, 2006).Fortunately, this type of learning is flexible in the sense that, once it has been acquired, it may be modified or altered. One of the ways in which this modification can take place is through extinction, the repeated presentation of a given cue in the absence of the consequences with which it had been previously associated (Pavlov, 1927). A progressive reduction in the acquired response to this cue is observed after experiencing a series of presentations of the cue alone. This flexibility allows the organism not only to adapt to changes in the cue-outcome relationships as they occur in the environment but also to ease those maladaptive forms of learning that lead to disruptive emotional responses. For example, in cognitive and behavioral therapies of anxiety disorders, exposure therapy -a repeated, systematic, and controlled exposure to the feared cue, in the absence of any traumatic event-seems to be a key component to success (Bouton, 2002, Longmore & Worrell, 2007Norton & Price, 2007). Unfortunately, extinction is not such a robust effect as acquisition itself, and several factors can lead to a recovery of the original fear response, or relapse. Thus, the current challenge is not so much to achieve the fear reduction but to prevent its relapse (Vervliet, Craske, & Hermans, 2013). The return of fear was firs...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Slower reacquisition after partial extinction in human contingency learning.

Morís¹,

Barberia

Vadillo³

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

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“…Fourth, rapid reacquisition of the CR is seen if the CS-US pairings are repeated following extinction (Ricker & Bouton, 1996); being more rapid than the original learning indicates the carry-over effects of the original acquisition learning. The clinical application is that fears that have subsided may be easily and rapidly reacquired with re-traumatization, as may occur in combat situations or other dangerous environments.…”

Section: Inhibition Model Of Extinctionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Inhibition in Exposure Therapy

Craske

Liao

Brown

et al. 2012

Journal of Experimental Psychopathology

210

140

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While many researchers have largely focused on principles of systematic desensitization and habituation in explaining fear extinction, these processes have mixed evidence at best. In particular, these models do not account for spontaneous recovery or reinstatement of fear, nor do they explain the context dependency of extinction or rapid reacquisition. This may in part account for the significant number of patients who fail to respond to our available treatments which rely on these principles in designing exposure sessions. However, recent research is converging to suggest that an inhibitory model of fear reduction, in which the original feared association (CS-US) remains but is inhibited by a newly formed association (CS-noUS) representing safety, holds promise in explaining the long-term attenuation of fear and anxiety. This paper reviews research in a number of areas, including neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and psychopharmacology that all provide support for the inhibition model of anxiety. Limitations to this body of research are discussed, along with recommendations for future research and suggestions for improving exposure therapy for fear and anxiety disorders. Clinical implications discussed in this paper include incorporating random and variable practice in exposure sessions, multiple contexts, and pharmacological aides, among others.

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“…Recently, however, Ricker and Bouton (1996) have reported a series of appetitive conditioning experiments in which the results suggest that decreasing the amount of acquisition training and/or increasing the amount of…”

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confidence: 99%