A new Possibility to Investigate Behavioral Resurgence: PORTL

Abstract

Resurgence is the reappearance of a previously reinforced response, which was later extinguished, when a currently reinforced alternative response is itself extinguished or degraded. This robust and replicable phenomenon has been extensively studied in animals under various conditions. In humans, resurgence research has aimed to develop more effective and enduring interventions, particularly for autistic individuals and those with substance use disorders. Despite the extensive data on resurgence across species, the high costs of traditional experiments, whether involving non-human animals, due to maintenance and operant box expenses, or human subjects, due to software and equipment costs, necessitate the exploration of more cost-effective methods for studying this phenomenon. One promising alternative is the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL). PORTL is a tabletop game that simulates the operant conditioning chamber. It was created to both assist in teaching the principles of Behavior Analysis to students and conduct high-quality experimental research. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using PORTL for resurgence research. Two experiments were conducted with university students. Experiment 1 assessed resurgence under two differential reinforcement procedures: differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Experiment 2 investigated the effect of reinforcement rate in Phase 2. Both experiments consisted of three phases: Phase 1 (Training), in which a target response (R1) was reinforced; Phase 2 (Elimination), in which an alternative response (R2) was reinforced while R1 was extinguished; and Phase 3 (Resurgence Test), in which both R1 and R2 were extinguished. In Experiment 1, R1 was initially shaped and reinforced on a fixed ratio 5 (FR 5) schedule in Phase 1. In Phase 2, R1 was extinguished for half of the participants using a DRA schedule with an FR 1 requirement, while the other half had a DRO 3 s programmed. In Phase 3, all responses underwent extinction. Experiment 2 employed a multiple schedule with two components differing in Phase 2. R1 was trained and reinforced on an FR 5 schedule in both components during Phase 1. In Phase 2, R1 was extinguished using a DRO 2 s schedule in the first component and a DRO 8 s schedule in the second component. Phase 3 involved extinction for all responses. Results from Experiment 1 indicated resurgence in all participants, with no significant differences between those exposed to DRA and DRO schedules. Experiment 2 also showed resurgence in all participants across both components, with a higher reinforcement rate associated with greater resurgence, consistent with existing literature. These findings suggest that PORTL is a viable, cost-effective tool for studying resurgence, potentially facilitating further research in this area.