Technical definition, clinical ABA application, discriminative non-examples, and test-day traps for behavior analysis candidates.
A temporary, predictable increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of the target behavior immediately after the implementation of an extinction procedure. Often accompanied by novel behavioral topographies and emotional reactions.
When a parent stops giving candy for checkout tantrums, the child screams louder, drops to the floor, and kicks for 10 minutes before calming down.
Behavior increasing because the therapist accidentally provided attention every 2 minutes (intermittent reinforcement, not extinction).
If staff or parents surrender and reinforce during an extinction burst, they inadvertently place the behavior on a variable schedule, drastically strengthening it.
Three days after implementing an extinction protocol for escape-maintained task refusal, the client begins tearing worksheets, throwing chairs, and screaming at three times the baseline volume. How should the team proceed?
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