In behavioral learning, what is the typical outcome of an extinction burst?

• A. A permanent decline in a previously reinforced behavior.
• B. A rapid escalation of the behavior due to overtraining.
• C. A temporary increase in the behavior as reinforcement is removed.
• D. A long-term plateau where the behavior remains unchanged.

Answer: (C)

When reinforcement stops for a behavior that has been reinforced, the immediate reaction is an extinction burst: a temporary increase in the behavior as the learner’s expectation for reinforcement is unmet. This happens because the behavior has become a way to get the outcome, and the removal of reinforcement creates a brief surge as the learner attempts to obtain it still. After this short spike, responding typically declines as extinction takes hold.

So the best description is a temporary increase in the behavior as reinforcement is removed. The other scenarios don’t capture this immediate, transient rise: extinction generally leads to decreasing responding over time rather than a permanent, immediate drop, a rapid escalation caused by overtraining, or a long-term unchanged plateau.