Persistence during extinction: examining the effects of continuous and intermittent reinforcement on problem behavior.

The team compared two ways to reinforce problem behavior before extinction. One group got a reward every single time. The other group got rewards only sometimes.

All kids had autism. The study used an alternating-treatments design. Each child faced both schedules on different days.

Behavior stuck around longer when it had been rewarded every time. Intermittent rewards made the behavior easier to stop.

In plain words: continuous reinforcement made extinction harder.

Cox et al. (2015) extends this idea into momentum theory. They showed that several stable sessions are needed to build strong persistence. Brief exposures do not create the same stickiness.

Lambert et al. (2024) adds another layer. They found that high reinforcer "dose" worsens extinction bursts. Together these papers say: thin both the schedule and the size before you start extinction.

Craig et al. (2019) appears to disagree at first. They saw resistance drop across repeated extinction probes. The difference is they tested the same birds many times, while Capio et al. (2013) used one probe per condition. Repeated testing itself weakens persistence, so the results actually fit.

You can make extinction easier by thinning the reinforcement schedule first. Move from continuous to intermittent rewards before you place the behavior on extinction. Also watch the reinforcer size; big rewards create bigger bursts. Plan a fade, then probe once and move on.