Stimulus Generalization and Resistance to Extinction in Combined Stimulus Contexts

Abstract

Behavioural momentum theory states that resistance to change of a response is dependent on the overall reinforcer rate within a stimulus context, a Pavlovian stimulusreinforcer relation. Therefore, behavioural treatments used by applied researchers that decrease problem behaviour by concurrently reinforcing appropriate behaviour can inadvertently increase the persistence of problem behaviour. One potential method to avoid enhancing the Pavlovian stimulus-reinforcer relations is by training a desired alternative response in a separate context, then combining the alternative context with the undesired target context during extinction. Further support for this technique comes from evidence suggesting that combining separately trained responses into the same context disrupts behaviour. The present study examined whether stimulus control affects the ability of the alternative stimulus to disrupt target responding. To that end, we trained a richer alternative schedule and a leaner target schedule separately and combined them during short extinction probes. During the combining procedure we varied the line orientation stimulus signalling the alternative stimulus, while maintaining the target stimulus. We observed greatest disruption to the target response by the alternative stimulus during combining when the presented alternative stimulus was identical to the stimulus presented during the training phase. We also found that target resistance to extinction negatively covaried with alternative resistance to extinction during the combining procedure. Therefore, stimulus control by the alternative context affects its disruptive influence on target responding when combining stimulus contexts.