Spontaneous recovery
The reappearance of a behavior that had decreased under extinction, after a period of time, even though the behavior is still not being reinforced.
After a behavior has decreased or stopped during extinction, it may suddenly occur again, often at the beginning of a session or after a break such as a weekend or vacation. This is spontaneous recovery. The recovered behavior is usually shorter-lived and weaker than before extinction, as long as it still does not produce reinforcement.
Spontaneous recovery is a normal part of the extinction process, not a sign that the intervention failed. The danger is that the team, assuming the problem was gone, may relax and reinforce the behavior when it reappears. If that happens, the behavior can come back quickly at its old level, and it may be harder to extinguish next time.
Supervisors often warn caregivers and staff about spontaneous recovery so they are prepared to keep following the plan. Because it typically appears at the start of sessions, RBTs should watch for it after breaks and handle the behavior exactly as written.
The RBT continues the extinction procedure, records the behavior so the supervisor can see the pattern, and reports the reappearance. Spontaneous recovery differs from resurgence, which involves a newer, alternative behavior losing reinforcement, and from an extinction burst, which occurs when extinction first begins.
Example and non-example
| Example | A child's attention-maintained whining had decreased to near zero over a month of extinction. After a two-week holiday, the child whines several times at the start of the first session back. The RBT continues the plan and whining drops again within days. |
|---|---|
| Non-example | A client's FCT break requests are not answered during a long fire drill, and the client's old head-hitting returns. The old behavior returned because the alternative behavior stopped being reinforced, which is resurgence. |
Don't confuse it with
| Resurgence | Resurgence happens when a more recently reinforced behavior is put on extinction, while spontaneous recovery happens after a passage of time. |
|---|---|
| Extinction burst | An extinction burst occurs when extinction first begins, while spontaneous recovery occurs after the behavior has already decreased. |
Test yourself
-
Question 1A child's tantrums dropped to near zero after weeks of extinction. On Monday, after a long weekend, the child has a short tantrum at the start of the session. What is this called?
Show answer
D: Spontaneous recovery. Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished behavior after time away, often at the start of a session. It is usually brief and weaker than before.
- A: A burst occurs when extinction first starts, not weeks later.
- B: Resurgence follows the loss of reinforcement for an alternative behavior; no change like that is described.
- C: Response variation means new forms of behavior; this is the same old tantrum.
Task D.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
-
Question 2A behavior that had been extinguished reappears briefly at the start of a session (spontaneous recovery). What should the RBT do?
Show answer
B: Keep withholding the reinforcer as the plan says and record it. If the reinforcer stays withheld, spontaneously recovered behavior usually fades quickly. Reinforcing it can bring the behavior back to its old level.
- A: Spontaneous recovery is a normal part of extinction, and stopping is the supervisor's call.
- C: Reinforcing the recovered behavior can bring it back fully.
- D: Changing data procedures is not the RBT's decision.
Task D.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
-
Question 3What is the key difference between spontaneous recovery and resurgence?
Show answer
D: Spontaneous recovery follows a break; resurgence follows lost reinforcement for an alternative. Spontaneous recovery is an extinguished behavior coming back after a break, such as a weekend. Resurgence is an old behavior coming back because a newer alternative behavior stopped being reinforced.
- A: Both are discussed as effects linked to extinction; neither is defined by punishment.
- B: Both involve a previously reinforced behavior coming back.
- C: Neither is defined by a set duration.
Task D.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
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.