Resurgence of infant caregiving responses
Issue Date
2007-05-31Author
Bruzek, Jennifer L.
Publisher
University of Kansas
Type
Dissertation
Degree Level
Ph.D.
Discipline
Applied Behavioral Science
Rights
This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Three experiments were conducted to identify the conditions likely to produce resurgence. The preparation was a simulated caregiving context, wherein a recorded infant cry sounded and was terminated contingent upon specified caregiving responses. The general sequence of experimental conditions was modeled after Epstein (1983). In each of three experiments, a reinforcement history was created for one or more responses, and those responses were then extinguished. Each previously reinforced response was measured in a resurgence test condition in which an additional response was reinforced and placed on extinction in the same session; resurgence occurred when previously reinforced responses reemerged during the resurgence test. Experiment 1 was conducted to determine whether resurgence would be obtained with human participants in a negative reinforcement preparation. Experiments 2 and 3 were conducted to determine whether responses with a longer history of reinforcement or a more recent history of reinforcement would show the strongest resurgence effect. Results of all three experiments suggest that resurgence is a phenomenon that can be obtained in preparations involving human subjects with responses that are maintained by negative reinforcement. Additionally, results from Experiments 2 and 3 provide evidence that the response with a longer history of reinforcement is likely to resurge, regardless of the relative temporal proximity of the history.
Description
Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Kansas, Applied Behavioral Science, 2007.
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