Resurgence as Choice in Context: Treatment duration and on/off alternative reinforcement

Abstract

Resurgence as Choice (RaC) is a quantitative theory suggesting that an increase in an extinguished target behavior with subsequent extinction of an alternative behavior (i.e., resurgence) is governed by the same processes as choice more generally. We present data from an experiment with rats examining a range of treatment durations with alternative reinforcement plus extinction and demonstrate that increases in treatment duration produce small but reliable decreases in resurgence. Although RaC predicted the relation between target responding and treatment duration, the model failed in other respects. First, contrary to predictions, the present experiment also replicated previous findings that exposure to cycling on/off alternative reinforcement reduces resurgence. Second, RaC did a poor job simultaneously accounting for target and alternative behaviors across conditions. We present a revised model incorporating a role for more local signaling effects of reinforcer deliveries or their absence on response allocation. Such signaling effects are suggested to impact response allocation above and beyond the values of the target and alternative behaviors as longer-term repositories of experience. The new model provides an excellent account of the data and can be viewed as an integration of RaC and a quantitative approximation of some aspects of Context Theory.

Resurgence and downshifts in alternative reinforcement rate

“…When alternative reinforcement is completely removed in Phase 3, d 1 = 1 and d 0 increases according to Equation 10. This approach is how the model was applied by Shahan et al (2020) and makes the same predictions. What the composite equations add is the ability to incorporate partial shifts in bias away from the alternative response to not responding when there is a reduction in alternative reinforcement rate.…”

“…In what follows, we will consider a theoretical account of the present results from the perspective of Resurgence as Choice in Context (i.e., RaC 2 ; see Shahan et al, 2020, for full development). The theory is an extension of the original version of RaC that incorporates some aspects of Context Theory (e.g., Bouton et al, 2012; Winterbauer & Bouton, 2010) into a choice‐based quantitative account of resurgence.…”

An investigation of resurgence of reinforced behavioral variability in humans

“…One type of relapse, resurgence, is particularly relevant, because it is a common, and usually unwanted, side effect of behavioral treatments used to reduce undesirable behavior (e.g., differential reinforcement of alternative behavior; DRA; e.g., Smith et al, 2017). Resurgence is defined as the reoccurrence of a previously extinguished target behavior after an alternative source of reinforcement is suspended (e.g., Craig et al, 2017; Epstein, 1985; Greer & Shahan, 2019; Shahan et al, 2020; Shahan & Craig, 2017). Resurgence is typically studied using three experimental phases.…”

Examining stimuli paired with alternative reinforcement to mitigate resurgence in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and pigeons

“…Consistent with previous models of choice (e.g., Herrnstein, 1970), RaC is based on the matching law and suggests that the rate of target responding is determined by the relative value of the outcomes associated with the target versus alternative response based on a temporal weighting rule. A more recent form of RaC proposes a relatively local signaling, or discriminative, function of consequences in addition to the original relatively long-term changes in value (see Shahan, Browning, & Nall, 2020). Given the stimuli appeared not to function as conditioned reinforcers, however, the original form of RaC cannot account for the influence of these stimuli.…”

“…Given the stimuli appeared not to function as conditioned reinforcers, however, the original form of RaC cannot account for the influence of these stimuli. A more recent form of RaC proposes a relatively local signaling, or discriminative, function of consequences in addition to the original relatively long-term changes in value (see Shahan, Browning, & Nall, 2020). It is possible this updated model of RaC could adequately account for the effects of paired stimuli on resurgence.…”