Interventions can be used in reducing interfering behaviors with the goal of communicating a particular message to the targeted learner. One such message is the realization that a given behavior is not effective or efficient in the achievement of its purpose, and that other behaviors may be more appropriate in achieving the envisioned goals ( Pierce & Cheney , 2013 ). The communication of such a message to the learner may be characterized by variations which are dependent on the behavior of the learner, his or her parents’ priorities and beliefs, and the contexts that inform the occurrence of the problem behavior. One notable communication strategy is extinction ( Pierce & Cheney , 2013; Waters et al., 2009) . Extinction entails minimizing or withholding, as much as possible, delivering the consequence that is charged with maintaining the interfering behavior. This paper is aimed at defining and sharing detailed examples of how a behavior reaches extinction.
Extinction behavior applies to behaviors that have previously been maintained by negative or positive reinforcement and by sensory consequences that occur naturally ( Waters et al., 2009 ). The basis of extinction is applied behavior analysis (ABA). It is comprised of procedures whose aim is to withdraw or terminate the reinforcement that is associated with a given inappropriate behavior ( Waters et al., 2009 ). In some instances, the effects of a learning history may come into play. In this case, the unwanted behavior may have been reinforced over a particular period. This reinforcement is associated with changing the consequence to no longer reinforcing the behavior. The result is that there may be an increase in frequency, duration or intensity of the target behavior ( Magee & Ellis , 2000 ). The three aspects refer to how often a behavior occurs, how long it lasts, and how powerful or intense the behavior is respectively. The latter is also referred to as the extinction burst.
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Often, extinction is used in children with Down Syndrome or Autism. However, it is also applicable in addressing various problem behaviors inclusive of those that are exhibited by individuals that don’t have any developmental disabilities. Based on the functions of a given behavior, extinction can take three distinct forms. One such form is using extinction with behaviors that are maintained through positive reinforcement ( Pierce & Cheney , 2013 ). An example of this is when a child seeks the attention of his or her mum by dropping a toy. The mum may smile at the child, pick the toy up and give it back to the child. Such actions are likely to reinforce the child’s negative behavior since he or she finally gets the attention. Consequently, the child is likely to continue dropping the toy so as to obtain the positive reinforcement that is being given by the mum. In order to reverse this trend, it is prudent for the child’s mother to ignore him or her when the toy is dropped. When the mother consistently ignores the child’s problem behavior, there is a high likelihood that the child will stop engaging in it since the action of dropping the toy does not result in the kind of effect that the child is seeking.
The second form of the procedure is the use of extinction on behaviors that are maintained using negative reinforcement ( Pierce & Cheney , 2013; Athens & Vollmer , 2010 ). This approach is also known as escape extinction. For example, a child may throw tantrums when he or she does not want to eat. In response, the mother may respond by placing the child at a specific spot to allow him or her to rest. On realizing that he or she can avoid eating undesirable food this way, the child is likely to repeat the same in the future. To rectify this, the child's mother should consider letting him or her throw tantrum, irrespective of how long the behavior takes, while at the same time pressuring the child to eat. It is expected that the tantrums will increase for some time owing to the child's frustration at the lack of concern from the mother. However, eventually, the tantrums will decline as soon as the child realizes that his or her actions don't result in the anticipated outcome.
The third form of extinction procedure entails extinction on behaviors that are maintained by automatic reinforcement ( Pierce & Cheney , 2013 ). This is also referred to as sensory extinction. An example of sensory extinction is a case in which a child turns the lights switch on and off on being visually stimulated by the starting and stopping of the fan. To adequately address this behavior, the child’s mother is expected to disable the fan. As a result, the child is not likely to get the visual stimulation he or she is used to on starting and stopping the fan. When the mother consistently disables the fan, the child is likely to stop engaging in the behavior since it ceases to provide the automatic reinforcement that the child is after.
Extinction should be viewed as being in effect when the specific behavior that was being reinforced is finally emitted but is not followed by reinforcement. Owing to the fact that the behavior is not being reinforced, there is a high likelihood that the frequency of occurrence of the behavior will decrease. Thus, extinction is associated with a lack of reinforcement. As opposed to receiving something positive for use in strengthening the behavior, or having anything added or taken away in a bid to suppress behavior, nothing takes place. From the child's perspective, engaging in the behavior does not result in the desired reinforcement. Therefore, while using extinction procedures, identifying the function of a specific behavior is essential to ensure that the function being addressed is appropriate.
References
Athens, E. S., & Vollmer, T. R. (2010). An investigation of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior without extinction. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 43 (4), 569-589.
Magee, S. K., & Ellis, J. (2000). Extinction effects during the assessment of multiple problem behaviors. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 33 (3), 313-316.
Pierce, W. D., & Cheney, C. D. (2013). Behavior analysis and learning . Psychology Press.
Waters, M. B., Lerman, D. C., & Hovanetz, A. N. (2009). Separate and combined effects of visual schedules and extinction plus differential reinforcement on problem behavior occasioned by transitions. Journal of applied behavior analysis , 42 (2), 309-313.
