%0 Journal Article
%T Resurgence mitigation across extended extinction following four and eight cycles of on/off alternative reinforcement.
%A Shahan TA
%A Sutton GM
%A Avellaneda M
%J Behav Processes
%V 220
%N 0
%D 2024 Aug 26
%M 39069280
%F 1.729
%R 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105082
%X Resurgence is an increase in an extinguished operant response resulting from a worsening of conditions (e.g., extinction) for a more recently reinforced alternative behavior. Previous research has shown that exposure to cycles of alternative reinforcement available versus unavailable (i.e., on/off alternative reinforcement) across sessions can reduce subsequent resurgence. Most previous assessments of the procedure have examined target operant responding during only single-session resurgence tests, and it remains unclear if exposure to relatively few cycles of on/off alternative reinforcement can maintain low rates of target behavior across extended exposure to extinction. This experiment with rats examined the effects of 4 or 8 cycles of on/off alternative reinforcement on subsequent resurgence during a 10-session extinction test. The results show that exposure to 4 cycles of on/off alternative reinforcement is as effective as 8 cycles in producing low rates of target behavior during treatment and across extended extinction. This result is consistent with extant theories of resurgence and suggests that on/off alternative reinforcement could have translational utility following relatively few cycles of exposure.