Renewal of eliminated operant performance by context change : A test of ABA and AAB renewal after omission training

Abstract

Renewal of operant performance formerly eliminated by omission training was explored with rats under two context-change conditions (ABA and AAB). When pressing a lever was trained with food reinforcement in one context and then eliminated by omission training (delivery of food for withholding the responding) in a second context, returning the rats to the original context tended to slightly renew the responding. In spite of this successful demonstration of ABA renewal effect, there was no hint of AAB renewal effect: When the responses had been eliminated in the context of acquisition, testing the rats in a second context did not renew the responses. As omission training, which is also called differential reinforcement of other behavior, has been widely used in behavior therapy for reducing undesired human behavior, implication of the present results for therapeutic applications were discussed.