Mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior using the discriminative stimuli of a multiple schedule

Fisher et al. (2020) tested a small tweak to FCT. They kept the teaching part the same: kids learned to press a switch to get the reinforcer that used to follow problem behavior.

Next came the new part. A multiple schedule ran in two parts. In one part, a green card was present and every FCR earned the reinforcer. In the other part, a red card was present and no reinforcer followed the FCR or any problem behavior.

After FCT was strong, the team ran an extinction probe. Both cards were shown, but no reinforcer was given. They counted how much problem behavior came back under each card.

Problem behavior stayed low when the red card was on screen. The card acted like an S-delta: it told the child, 'Reinforcement is not here.'

Resurgence only spiked under the green card, the former 'reinforcement available' cue. The SD that had signaled FCR reinforcement had no clear effect on relapse.

Adding a clear 'no-reinforcement' signal during the extinction challenge cut the return of destructive behavior.

Falligant et al. (2022) saw the same pattern: resurgence jumps when the reinforcer is suddenly yanked away. Both studies warn clinicians to expect a burst when big schedule cuts are made.

WFrazier et al. (2018) lowered resurgence by running FCT on a lean VR schedule first. Fisher et al. (2020) now show a second, faster option: just flash a red 'extinction' card during probes. You can either build momentum slowly or signal extinction clearly; each tool works.

Irwin Helvey et al. (2023) looked dense versus lean alternative reinforcement and found no difference in relapse. That seems to clash with WFrazier et al. (2018), but the key is what was changed. WW altered baseline rate before extinction; Irwin Helvey altered schedule density after FCT. Method difference explains the mixed results.

Resurgence is the main roadblock when you thin or pause FCT. This study gives you a cheap, five-second fix: place a distinct card, bracelet, or light on the table during extinction probes and tell the child, 'No rewards now.' One red card kept problem behavior near zero for every participant. Try it the next time you probe extinction or start schedule thinning.