University of Central Florida (UCF) EXP3404 Basic Learning Processes Practice Exam 2

When reinforcement is first discontinued, it is common for the rate of responding to remain unchanged at first. This phenomenon can be attributed to the persistence of the learned behavior, as the individual may continue to perform the behavior despite a lack of reinforcement because they have not yet recognized that reinforcement is no longer available.

Initially, the established response patterns are still in place, and the behavior may continue without significant alteration. This can often be observed in various learning scenarios where a behavior was initially reinforced frequently, and the individual has built a strong association between the behavior and the reinforcement.

Over time, however, if reinforcement does not resume, you may eventually see changes in that behavior, either through a decrease in frequency or a different response pattern, but the immediate aftermath of discontinuing reinforcement does not lead to an immediate change in response rate. This concept is essential in understanding behavior modification and the principles of operant conditioning.