What Is Resurgence?
Resurgence is a behavioral phenomenon in which a previously reinforced and then extinguished response recurs when a more recently reinforced alternative response is placed on extinction or experiences a reduction in reinforcement. In simpler terms, when a replacement behavior stops working, the old problem behavior comes back. This phenomenon is one of the most clinically significant challenges in applied behavior analysis because it means that even successful interventions can produce a return of problem behavior under certain conditions.
For example, imagine a child who previously engaged in tantrum behavior to access preferred items. Through functional communication training (FCT), the child learns to use a communication card to request items, and tantrum behavior decreases to near-zero levels. If the communication card suddenly stops producing reinforcement (perhaps the preferred item is unavailable), the original tantrum behavior may resurge, even though it had been extinguished months earlier.
The Behavioral Mechanism Behind Resurgence
Resurgence has been studied extensively in both basic and applied research. The phenomenon is typically demonstrated using a three-phase procedure:
- Phase 1 (Training): A target response (Response A) is reinforced until it reaches a stable rate.
- Phase 2 (Alternative reinforcement): Response A is placed on extinction while an alternative response (Response B) is reinforced. Response A decreases and Response B increases.
- Phase 3 (Test for resurgence): Response B is also placed on extinction (or reinforcement is reduced). Response A recurs, even though it has not been reinforced since Phase 1.
Several theoretical accounts explain resurgence. The Resurgence as Choice (RaC) model, proposed by Shahan and Craig, treats resurgence within a quantitative choice framework based on the matching law. According to this model, the value of both the target and alternative responses persists even during extinction, and when the alternative loses its reinforcement advantage, the relative value of the target response increases, producing resurgence.
Another account, the Context Theory of resurgence, draws on research in Pavlovian conditioning to suggest that the introduction and removal of alternative reinforcement functions as a contextual change, and this context change disrupts the inhibition of the target response that was established during Phase 2.
Factors That Influence Resurgence
Understanding the variables that affect resurgence is critical for BCBAs designing interventions. Research has identified several important factors:
Reinforcement History of the Target Response
A longer or richer reinforcement history for the original problem behavior generally produces greater resurgence. Behaviors that were reinforced on dense schedules over extended periods are more likely to recur when alternative reinforcement is disrupted. This finding underscores the importance of early intervention, because shorter reinforcement histories for problem behavior should produce less resurgence.
Rate and Duration of Alternative Reinforcement
Higher rates of alternative reinforcement during Phase 2 can actually produce greater resurgence when that reinforcement is removed. This is a counterintuitive finding with important clinical implications. While dense reinforcement schedules are effective at reducing problem behavior in the short term, they may increase vulnerability to resurgence if reinforcement is abruptly discontinued.
How Alternative Reinforcement Is Removed
Abrupt removal of alternative reinforcement produces greater resurgence than gradual thinning. This is one of the strongest practical findings in the resurgence literature. Gradual schedule thinning of alternative reinforcement reduces (though may not eliminate) the magnitude of resurgence.
Clinical Strategies to Minimize Resurgence
Given that resurgence is a well-documented behavioral phenomenon, BCBAs should proactively plan to minimize its impact. Several evidence-based strategies can help:
Gradual Schedule Thinning
Rather than abruptly removing or dramatically reducing reinforcement for the alternative response, thin the reinforcement schedule gradually. Use systematic criteria for thinning (such as stability at each step) and avoid large or sudden jumps in schedule requirements. Research consistently shows that gradual thinning reduces the magnitude of resurgence.
Multiple Alternative Responses
Teaching multiple functionally equivalent alternative responses may reduce resurgence. If one alternative becomes unavailable, other alternatives still contact reinforcement, reducing the context change that triggers resurgence of the original problem behavior. For example, teaching a client to use vocal requests, a communication device, and gestures all as alternatives to problem behavior creates redundancy in the communication repertoire.
Superimposed Schedules
Some researchers have explored using superimposed schedules in which reinforcement for the alternative response is combined with response-independent reinforcement. This approach maintains some level of reinforcement even when the alternative response is not emitted, which may reduce the disruption that triggers resurgence.
Extended Extinction of the Target Response
Ensuring thorough extinction of the target response before introducing alternative reinforcement may reduce resurgence. The more completely the target response is extinguished, the weaker its residual value when the alternative reinforcement is disrupted.
Treatment Integrity Planning
Since resurgence occurs when alternative reinforcement is disrupted, maintaining high treatment integrity is essential. Train all caregivers and implementers to deliver reinforcement for the alternative response consistently, and plan for situations where reinforcement delivery might be interrupted (transitions, new settings, caregiver fatigue). Having backup plans for these scenarios can prevent the conditions that produce resurgence.
Resurgence Versus Other Return-of-Behavior Phenomena
BCBAs should distinguish resurgence from related but distinct phenomena. Renewal refers to the return of a response when the context changes (such as moving from a treatment setting to a novel setting). Reinstatement refers to the return of a response after noncontingent exposure to the reinforcer. Spontaneous recovery refers to the return of a response following a passage of time after extinction. Each phenomenon involves different mechanisms and requires different clinical strategies, though all share the common feature of a previously reduced behavior returning.
Exam Preparation Tips
For the BCBA exam, be prepared to identify resurgence in clinical scenarios and distinguish it from renewal, reinstatement, and spontaneous recovery. Understand the three-phase procedure used to demonstrate resurgence in research. Know that resurgence is most likely when alternative reinforcement is abruptly removed, and that gradual schedule thinning is a primary strategy for minimizing it. Questions may present scenarios where an FCT response stops being reinforced and ask you to predict or explain the return of the original problem behavior.