It may be a question you remember from graduate school: What’s the deal with sensory extinction? Is it a form of extinction? Of punishment? Or, is it something else? This week, we revisit that old chestnut by discussion four articles that hope to solve the mystery of sensory extinction. And we review one of the most complementary replication articles of all time!

Articles discussed this episode:

Iwata, B.A., Pace, G.M., Cowdery, G.E., & Miltenberger, R.G. (1994). What makes extinction work: An analysis of procedural form and function. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 131-144. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-131

Mazaleski, J.L., Iwata, B.A., Rodgers, T.A., Vollmer, T.R., & Zarcone, J.R. (1994). Protective equipment as treatment for stereotypic hand mouthing: Sensory extinction or punishment effects? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 345-355. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1994.27-345

Lerman, D.C. & Iwata, B.A. (1996). A methodology for distinguishing between extinction and punishment effects associated with response blocking. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 231-233. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-231

Smith, R.G., Russo, L., & Le, D.D. (1999). Distinguishing between extinction and punishment effects of response blocking: A replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32, 367-370. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1999.32-367

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