The DOI matches its Crossref record; 132 of the 132 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Extinction of instrumental (operant) learning: interference, varieties of context, and mechanisms of contextual control
Open accessAbstract
This article reviews recent research on the extinction of instrumental (or operant) conditioning from the perspective that it is an example of a general retroactive interference process. Previous discussions of interference have focused primarily on findings from Pavlovian conditioning. The present review shows that extinction in instrumental learning has much in common with other examples of retroactive interference in instrumental learning (e.g., omission learning, punishment, second-outcome learning, discrimination reversal learning, and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior). In each, the original learning can be largely retained after conflicting information is learned, and behavior is cued or controlled by the current context. The review also suggests that a variety of stimuli can play the role of context, including room and apparatus cues, temporal cues, drug state, deprivation state, stress state, and recent reinforcers, discrete cues, or behaviors. In instrumental learning situations, the context can control behavior through its direct association with the reinforcer or punisher, through its hierarchical relation with response-outcome associations, or its direct association (inhibitory or excitatory) with the response. In simple instrumental extinction and habit learning, the latter mechanism may play an especially important role.
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“We and others have shown that extinction weakens instrumental responding, but does not erase the original learning. Instead, extinction involves a form of context-specific inhibition (rather than unlearning) of the response”
From Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Bouton, 2019
In the citing paper
“For example, we have performed many studies of the renewal effect: If the context is changed after extinction has been learned, the original response can return.”
From Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Bouton, 2019
In the citing paper
“Over the years, our extinction research has documented that extinction does not erase what has been learned before it, but instead interferes with it.”
From Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Bouton, 2019
In the citing paper
“It is worth noting that the range of cues that can constitute context is arguably very wide, potentially including time, drug states, deprivation and stress states, and other behaviors among other things (e.g., Bouton, 2019; Bouton et al., 2021a, b).”
From Context, attention, and the switch between habit and goal-direction in behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Bouton, 2019
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bouton, M. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Vermont (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bouton, Mark E.
- ORCID
- Bouton, Mark E.
- Venue
- Psychopharmacology
- Published
- 2018-10-22
- Volume
- 236
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 7-19
- ISSN
- 0033-3158 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-2072
- PMC
- PMC6374202
- OpenAlex
- W2897986552
- Cited by
- 118
- References
- 131
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 12
- FWCI
- 2.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (RO1 DA033123)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- extinction, operant conditioning, retroactive interference, contextual control, contextual cues, punishment, discrimination reversal, differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, habit learning, stress, deprivation, temporal cues
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Conditioning, Classical, Conditioning, Operant, Cues, Discrimination Learning, Extinction, Psychological, Humans, Reinforcement, Psychology, Reversal Learning
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