Operant extinction
Operant extinction refers to the elimination or suppression of previously desirable behavior by eliminating the stimuli that facilitated the occurrence of behavior (Lattal & Lattal, 2012). An excellent example of a behavioral aspect that I had previously exhibited and consciously suppressed was picking my nose using my fingers. Even though I cannot trace how I started the habit, I know that I used to associate it with clearing my nose and respiratory system as a whole. However, after joining Middle School, I quickly realized that the nose-picking habit was undesirable and even downright disgusting to some of my classmates. Since I did not want to run the risk of attaining a nickname coined from the behavior, I quickly resolved to stop it and succeeded after a period of two months.
Describe how the extinction contingency played a role in the discontinuation of this behavior.
The extinction contingency was critical in defining the start and the progress of stopping my nose-picking habit. This was possible since the positive stimulus of clearing my nose using my fingers that reinforced the habit was replaced by my association of the habit with a difficult school life that was characterized by the negativity of the addiction becoming my identity. This would include cruel labels, an inability to make and sustain meaningful friendships, and fellow students making fun of me. Consequently, I made up my mind to discontinue the behavior since it symbolized a horrible school life.
Describe the extinction burst.
Extinction burst in operant behavior refers to an adverse reaction when one has initiated the process of suppressing a target behavior and may be characterized by an increase in the frequency, magnitude, and duration of the behavior targeted for extinction (Huffman, 2019). An extinction burst is likely to occur during the earliest periods after a subject has begun a behavior extinction intervention to eliminate it.
Explain any bursts that may have occurred in your extinction contingency example.
One example of the extinction burst experience during the discussed extinction contingency was that when I was at home, I increased the number of times and duration took picking my friends since I was away from the judgmental crowd. However, with the help of my parents, I was able to initiate both positive and negative behavior reinforcement techniques that fostered the elimination process.