After weeks of successful extinction trials,your pet dachshund suddenly resumes burying bones in the front yard. Your pet trainer advises you that the dog's behavior is an example of
A)shaping.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)satiation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the sudden reappearance of a behavior that had been previously extinct. In this case, the dachshund had stopped burying bones but has now resumed the behavior, even though extinction trials were successful. This indicates that the behavior was not fully extinguished and spontaneously recovered after some time. Shaping refers to the gradual reinforcement of a behavior, stimulus generalization refers to the extension of a learned response to similar stimuli, and satiation refers to the decrease in the effectiveness of reinforcement due to overuse or excessive reward. None of these options adequately explain the dachshund's sudden return of the behavior after a period of extinction.

After Weeks of Successful Extinction Trials,your Pet Dachshund Suddenly Resumes