Dissertation Defenses

Doctoral Dissertation Announcement

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Candidate: Jennifer Lee Sobie

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: Effect of Extinction across Multiple Contexts on Renewal of Responses within a Functional Response Class

Committee:
Dr. Lisa Baker, Chair
Dr. Jack Michael
Dr. Cynthia Pietras
Dr. Galen Alessi
Dr. Kennon Lattal

Date: Friday, May 18, 2007 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
3715 Wood Hall

Abstract:
Resistance to extinction in applied settings is a common problem seen in clinical psychology across a myriad of behavioral disorders including drug addiction, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anger and impulse management disorders. In a study conducted with pet dogs, where four distinct behaviors reinforced by social acquiescence served as functional response class members, it was found that extinction of some but not all of the responses across contexts significantly decreased responding of the remaining non-targeted responses within that class. These data suggested that serial extinction of members of a functional response class across contexts might aid in both attenuation of renewal across contexts as well extinction of member responses within a context following progressive extinction through multiple contexts. This hypothesis was explored experimentally in Sprague-Dawley rats through comparison of the relative contribution of extinction across contexts (control group) and extinction of multiple responses with a function response class across contexts (experimental group) on response perseveration and renewal. Renewal was evident, but no difference was found between groups. Results are discussed relevant to response-class resurgence, stimulus control and multiple context extinction.