Extinction burst
A temporary increase in the frequency, duration or intensity of a behavior soon after extinction begins.
When a behavior that used to be reinforced suddenly stops producing reinforcement, it often gets worse before it gets better. The client may do the behavior more often, longer, louder or harder. This is an extinction burst. It does not mean the procedure has failed; it is a common early effect of extinction, though it does not happen every time.
An everyday example is pressing an elevator button repeatedly and harder when the elevator does not come. In clinical settings, a client whose tantrums used to produce an item may cry longer and louder at first when tantrums stop working. Bursts may also include new behaviors (response variation) and emotional responding such as aggression.
The extinction burst is the most risky time in an extinction procedure. If the team gives in during the burst and delivers the reinforcer, the client learns that more intense behavior works, which can make the behavior stronger and harder to reduce. Supervisors plan for bursts by preparing the team, combining extinction with reinforcement of a replacement behavior, and writing safety steps for situations where the burst could be dangerous.
The RBT keeps implementing the plan consistently during a burst, keeps everyone safe, records the data (which will show the spike), and tells the supervisor, especially if the behavior becomes dangerous or new behaviors appear.
Example and non-example
| Example | A client's screaming used to get the caregiver to hand over the tablet. On the first day of extinction, screaming lasts 12 minutes instead of the usual 3, then decreases over the following week. |
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| Non-example | A behavior that was reduced weeks ago suddenly reappears at the start of a new session after a holiday break. That is spontaneous recovery, not the early increase when extinction begins. |
Don't confuse it with
| Spontaneous recovery | An extinction burst happens when extinction first starts, while spontaneous recovery is a reappearance of the behavior after it has already decreased. |
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| Resurgence | Resurgence is the return of an old behavior when a newer behavior stops being reinforced, while a burst is an increase in the behavior currently on extinction. |
Test yourself
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Question 1The intervention for this attention-maintained behavior includes extinction. Which describes the intervention data?
Number of instances of yelling by Session: 1: 6, 2: 5, 3: 6, 4: 6, 5: 10, 6: 12, 7: 9, 8: 5, 9: 3, 10: 2, 11: 1. Phases: Baseline from session 1, Intervention from session 5. Show answer
D: A brief increase, then a decreasing trend. Right after intervention began, the behavior rose above baseline and then declined steadily. A temporary increase when extinction begins is consistent with an extinction burst.
- A: The first intervention sessions are higher than baseline, not lower.
- B: The behavior rises only at first and then falls.
- C: The intervention data first rise above and then fall well below baseline.
Task A.7 · 40-hour curriculum section C
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Question 2When the RBT stops reinforcing the previous approximation, the client briefly repeats that approximation more often and more forcefully and fusses. What best explains this?
Show answer
C: An extinction burst for the earlier approximation. Once an approximation is no longer reinforced, it is on extinction, and a temporary increase in its frequency or intensity, often with emotional responding, is an extinction burst.
- A: Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished behavior after time has passed, not an increase right after reinforcement stops.
- B: Satiation would reduce responding overall, not make the earlier approximation more forceful.
- D: Response generalization is the appearance of untaught forms with the same function, not a brief increase in an old form.
Task C.10 · 40-hour curriculum section E
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Question 3A DRA plan for tantrums starts with extinction for tantrums. In the first sessions, tantrums briefly increase, but they are not dangerous. What should the RBT do?
Show answer
B: Continue the plan and report the data. A short increase is common at the start of extinction (an extinction burst). Giving in at this point can strengthen the tantrums, so the RBT follows the plan and reports the data.
- A: Giving the reinforcer during the burst can reinforce more intense tantrums.
- C: Stopping the plan is a plan change and can make the behavior harder to reduce.
- D: Adding a punisher is a plan change the supervisor would have to make.
Task D.3 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.02
Answer every question to see your score.
On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task D.6 Secondary effects of extinction and punishment in content area D, Behavior Reduction, which is 14 of the 75 scored questions.