Abstract
The associative changes that occur in extinction were investigated in four instrumental learning experiments. Experiment 1 used transfer based on a shared outcome to detect the continued presence of response-outcome (R-O) and stimulus-outcome (S-O) associations after a response had been nonreinforced in the presence of its controlling stimulus. Experiments 2–4 found that extinction resulted in the learning not to make a particular response in the presence of a particular stimulus, despite those continued R-0 and S-0 associations. These results suggest that extinction may superimpose upon those original outcome associations an inhibitory S-R association.
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This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant BNS-88-03514.
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Rescorla, R.A. Inhibitory associations between S and R in extinction. Animal Learning & Behavior 21, 327–336 (1993). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197998