What can be inferred about extinction and reinforcement?

When considering the relationship between extinction and reinforcement, the inference that extinction occurs gradually after reinforcement is removed is highly relevant. This reflects the process in which a conditioned response that was previously reinforced diminishes over time when reinforcement is no longer provided.

In reinforcement history, the strength and persistence of a behavior are closely linked to the frequency and type of reinforcement received prior to extinction. When an individual has experienced a regular schedule of reinforcement, the behavior may not immediately cease when reinforcement stops; instead, they may continue to exhibit the behavior for a period, demonstrating what is often referred to as an "extinction burst"—a sudden increase in the frequency of the behavior before it starts to decline.

Extinction is generally a gradual process because the organism may still respond initially due to the memory of past reinforcement. This is crucial in understanding how learned behaviors can take time to fade away. The insights into how long behaviors last following the removal of reinforcement underscore the link between reinforcement history and the process of extinction.