A translational analysis of ABA and ABC renewal of operant behavior

Liddon et al. (2018) ran a lab test with one person at a time. They first taught a simple button-press for points in Room A.

Next they moved to Room B and stopped the points. This was extinction. Later they tested the same person in three room orders: A-B-A and A-B-C.

Both ABA and ABC room orders brought the button-pressing back. The behavior returned even though the points were still gone.

One person could show both renewal types. That means you cannot predict which form of relapse will hit.

Rodriguez-Seijas et al. (2020) built on this result. They gave brief reinforcement back in Room A while extinction kept going in Room B. This trick cut ABC renewal. It shows you can mix contexts on purpose to protect gains.

Craig et al. (2019) found the opposite risk. When they flipped between reinforcement and extinction rooms every day, relapse grew larger than the standard ABA pattern. Fast context swaps can be dangerous.

Austin et al. (2015) saw the same ABA rebound in children with autism. Their work proves renewal is not just a lab toy; it happens in clinical clients too.

Plan for both ABA and ABC renewal in the same client. After you stop reinforcement, avoid quick hops between the old fun room and the new teaching room. If you must visit the old room, slip in some brief reinforcement there while you keep extinction active elsewhere. Map out all the places the behavior used to pay off and teach the client to contact reinforcement in new, safe spots before those old visits happen.