Spontaneous recovery after training with multiple outcomes

Abstract

Four experiments explored the increase in an instrumental response (R) with time after it had been subjected either to extinction or to training with a second outcome (O). Experiment 1 found less performance of an extinguished response immediately after extinction than after a 7-day delay (spontaneous recovery). Experiments 2–4 found a similar difference when training with a second outcome replaced extinction, despite the failure of that replacement to itself undermine performance. Similar results did not occur when the second outcome was identical to that used in initial training. These results suggest that training with a novel outcome generates a decremental process that is not directly observable but that dissipates with time.