Resistance to Extinction as a Function of the Interaction between Training and Extinction Delays

Abstract

Four delay conditions (0, 5, 10, and 20 sec.) were used in the acquisition of a runway response. Performance was a decreasing function of the duration of the delay interval. In extinction, with half of the Ss from each group extinguished under the same goalbox delay which they experienced in acquisition (nonshifted groups) and half extinguished under a different condition (shifted groups), the following results obtained: (1) resistance to extinction was a decreasing function of acquisition delay for the nonshifted groups, (2) there were no differences between the nonshifted groups when the terminal training levels were statistically equated, (3) resistance to extinction was a nonmonotonic function of acquisition delay for the groups shifted to 0-sec. delay, and (4) resistance to extinction was a monotonic increasing function of delay for these groups when the terminal acquisition levels were controlled. It was concluded that in delay studies resistance must be interpreted with respect to both acquisition and extinction conditions.