Ready to Test Your Psychology Skills? Dive into Spontaneous Recovery
Challenge Yourself: Behavioral Psychology and Learning Theory Quiz
Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Amanda MarzanUpdated Aug 23, 2025
Use this spontaneous recovery quiz to practice how and why an extinguished response can return, and review key ideas in conditioning. You get a score to help you check gaps before a psych exam; for more practice, see learning and conditioning and this memory quiz .
What is spontaneous recovery in classical conditioning?
A rapid reacquisition of a conditioned response during retraining
The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a rest period
The pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus
The gradual weakening of a conditioned response when the CS is presented alone
Spontaneous recovery occurs when an extinguished conditioned response reemerges after a pause or rest period without further conditioning. It demonstrates that extinction does not erase the original learning but only suppresses it. This phenomenon highlights the persistence of the original CS - US association. .
In classical conditioning, what does extinction refer to?
Pairing a new stimulus with the unconditioned stimulus
The disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented alone
The sudden return of an extinguished response after a rest
An increase in the strength of the conditioned response
Extinction in classical conditioning happens when the conditioned stimulus (CS) is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (US), causing the conditioned response (CR) to weaken and eventually disappear. It does not eliminate the original association but suppresses it. Over time, spontaneous recovery can reveal the suppressed response. .
Which of the following best describes the 'renewal effect'?
A faster reacquisition of a conditioned response
The return of an extinguished response when the context is changed back to the original acquisition context
The gradual decline of response strength with repeated CS alone presentations
The generalization of a response to stimuli similar to the CS
The renewal effect refers to the phenomenon where an extinguished CR reappears if the organism is tested in a context different from where extinction occurred and back in the original acquisition context. It underscores the role of context in extinction learning. Even without additional pairings, the original association can renew under context shifts. .
What is disinhibition in the context of extinction?
A gradual increase in response strength during extinction
The complete erasure of the conditioned response
The sudden recovery of a conditioned response when a novel stimulus is introduced during extinction
A failure to produce any conditioned response
Disinhibition involves the recovery of an extinguished CR when a novel, irrelevant stimulus is presented alongside the extinguished CS. This effect suggests that extinction suppresses but does not eliminate the learned association. It shows how external stimulation can temporarily lift that suppression. .
What phenomenon illustrates that extinction does not erase the original learning entirely?
Spontaneous recovery
Latent inhibition
Generalization
Blocking
Spontaneous recovery shows that after extinction, if an organism is given a rest period, the CR can reappear even without further CS - US pairings. This demonstrates that the original conditioned association remains intact but suppressed. Extinction involves new learning rather than unlearning of the CS - US link. .
Which process is an example of inhibitory learning in extinction?
Pairing the CS and US more frequently
Strengthening the CR through reinforcement
Learning that the CS no longer predicts the US
Introducing a novel stimulus during acquisition
Inhibitory learning during extinction is acquiring the understanding that the CS no longer forecasts the US, which suppresses the CR. This does not erase the excitatory CS - US association but adds a new inhibitory memory. That's why phenomena like renewal and spontaneous recovery occur. .
Which example best demonstrates spontaneous recovery?
A dog never salivates to the tone after extinction
A dog salivates to a tone again after a break following extinction training
A dog learns to sit when given a treat
A dog barks at the sound of thunder
After extinction, the dog stops salivating to the tone alone. If, after a rest period, the dog again salivates to the tone without further pairings, it is spontaneous recovery. This indicates that extinction didn't eliminate the learned tone - food association. .
During extinction, the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus. What is the expected outcome?
Acquisition of a new response
Increase in response strength
Immediate and permanent loss of the response
A gradual decline in conditioned response frequency
When the CS appears without the US, the CR weakens over trials but not permanently erased. This gradual decline defines extinction. Spontaneous recovery can later show the original CR. .
Which statement about extinction is true?
It only occurs in operant conditioning
It involves new inhibitory learning rather than unlearning
It accelerates acquisition of the CR
It completely erases the original CS - US association
Extinction forms an inhibitory memory that the CS no longer predicts the US, suppressing but not erasing the original memory. Evidence includes spontaneous recovery, renewal, and reinstatement. Thus extinction is new learning, not unlearning. .
What does the term 'reinstatement' refer to?
The generalization of the CR to new stimuli
The permanent suppression of the CR
The initial acquisition of the CR
The recovery of a conditioned response after US-alone presentations
Reinstatement is when, after extinction, brief presentations of the US alone restore the extinguished CR upon subsequent CS trials. It shows the original CS - US association remains. This is another demonstration that extinction doesn't erase learning. .
Which factor can strengthen spontaneous recovery?
More CS - US pairings during acquisition
Reducing the number of extinction trials
Presenting the US during extinction
A longer rest interval between extinction and test
Longer rest intervals after extinction allow the suppressed CR to reemerge more strongly, enhancing spontaneous recovery. Fewer extinction trials alone or US presentations during extinction would alter extinction but not specifically recovery. Rest is key to revealing the suppressed association. .
In Pavlovian conditioning, what does 'savings' refer to?
Faster relearning of a conditioned response after extinction
The cost of maintaining multiple associations
Permanent retention of the CR after one trial
The weakening of a response over time
Savings means that after extinction, if training resumes, the CR is relearned faster than during initial acquisition. It suggests the original CS - US association persisted despite extinction. It's evidence of underlying memory retention. .
Which of these is NOT an explanation for spontaneous recovery?
Contextual change effects
Incomplete extinction learning
Permanent strengthening of the inhibitory association
Partial decay of inhibitory memory
Permanent strengthening of inhibitory associations would prevent recovery, not explain it. Spontaneous recovery arises because extinction learning decays faster or is context-specific, allowing the original association to reappear. Incomplete extinction and context shifts also contribute. .
Which experiment would best demonstrate spontaneous recovery?
Train with a new CS after extinction
Present US alone repeatedly
Continue reinforcing CS - US pairings indefinitely
Present CS alone until CR stops, rest, then test again with CS alone
To show spontaneous recovery, extinguish the CR by presenting CS alone, allow a rest period, then present CS alone again to see if the CR returns. This protocol isolates recovery after rest. Other manipulations do not test spontaneous recovery. .
Which term describes when a conditioned response returns in a new context after extinction in a different context?
Renewal
Blocking
Savings
Reinstatement
Renewal occurs when extinction is context-specific and testing in a different or original acquisition context causes the CR to return. It highlights context's role in inhibitory learning. This differs from reinstatement, which uses US alone. .
Which is an example of reinstatement rather than renewal?
Testing in the original context after extinction in a new context
Presentation of a novel stimulus during extinction
US-alone presentations after extinction restore the CR
Blocking a new CS with the original CS
Reinstatement involves the US presented alone after extinction, which revives the extinguished CR. Renewal involves context change, not US presentations. The key difference is the method of recovery - US presentations versus context shift. .
Which outcome is predicted by the comparator hypothesis during spontaneous recovery?
New contextual cues completely block the CR
The original CS - US association strength re-emerges when inhibitory links weaken
The conditioned response remains fully suppressed
The unconditioned stimulus loses efficacy
The comparator hypothesis posits that responding depends on comparing the CS - US association to other associations; during extinction, inhibitory links suppress the CR. With rest, inhibitory strength decays faster than excitatory links, allowing the CR to reappear. This explains spontaneous recovery. .
What is latent inhibition in classical conditioning?
Inhibition of a novel stimulus during acquisition
Slower conditioning to a CS due to prior exposure without the US
Sensation of inhibition when the US is removed
A rapid reappearance of an extinguished CR
Latent inhibition occurs when preexposure to a CS without the US makes subsequent conditioning slower because the CS is perceived as irrelevant. It illustrates that prior experience with a stimulus impacts associative learning. This effect occurs independently of extinction. .
Which brain structure is critically involved in spontaneous recovery and other extinction phenomena?
Amygdala
Prefrontal cortex
Cerebellum
Hippocampus
The amygdala, especially its basolateral complex, plays a key role in forming and retrieving emotional conditioned responses and in extinction-related retrieval processes. Neural changes there contribute to phenomena like spontaneous recovery. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus also modulate but the amygdala is central. .
Which method can reduce the likelihood of spontaneous recovery?
Conducting extinction trials in multiple contexts
Delaying extinction training
Shortening the interval between extinction and test
Only doing one extinction trial
Extinction across varied contexts promotes generalization of inhibitory learning and reduces context-specific recoveries like spontaneous recovery and renewal. Short intervals or few trials do not prevent recovery. Multi-context training strengthens the extinction memory. .
In a resurgence paradigm, what happens after the first behavior is extinguished and a second reinforced behavior is introduced and then extinguished?
A new third behavior emerges
The first behavior reappears spontaneously
Only the second behavior reappears
Both behaviors remain extinguished
Resurgence describes the reemergence of an earlier extinguished response when a later reinforced response is extinguished. It parallels spontaneous recovery but in a sequential operant context. It shows that the original learning persists despite extinction of a subsequent response. .
Which phenomenon demonstrates that extinction learning can be context-specific?
Blocking
Generalization
Acquisition
Renewal
Renewal shows that after extinction in one context, testing in a different context (especially the original acquisition context) can restore the CR. This indicates that extinction memory is tied to the extinction context. Renewal contrasts with spontaneous recovery, which is time-based. .
Which schedule of reinforcement during acquisition leads to greater resistance to extinction and more robust spontaneous recovery?
Fixed interval only
Variable ratio only
Partial/intermittent schedule
Continuous schedule
Intermittent or partial reinforcement schedules produce the partial reinforcement extinction effect, making responses more resistant to extinction and more likely to show spontaneous recovery. Continuous reinforcement leads to faster extinction. The unpredictability of partial schedules sustains responding. .
What role does the hippocampus play in extinction and spontaneous recovery?
Release of unconditioned responses
Contextual encoding of extinction memory
Motor coordination during CR
Primary generation of the CR
The hippocampus encodes contextual information that distinguishes extinction from acquisition contexts. It helps track when and where extinction occurred, influencing renewal and spontaneous recovery. Without intact hippocampal function, context-specific recovery is impaired. .
Which form of learning suggests that extinction involves new inhibitory associations rather than unlearning?
Rescorla - Wagner model
Thorndike's law of effect
Tolman's cognitive map
Behavioral inhibition theory
The Rescorla - Wagner model posits that learning depends on prediction error; during extinction, negative prediction error leads to the development of inhibitory associations that counteract excitatory associations but do not erase them. Evidence like spontaneous recovery supports this. .
Which procedure demonstrates 'reacquisition' after extinction?
Extinction in a different context
Re-pairing CS with US after extinction and observing faster CR relearning
Presenting a novel stimulus during extinction
Testing CS alone after extinction with no response
Reacquisition involves retraining the CS - US pairing after extinction, leading to faster recovery of the CR compared to initial learning, demonstrating savings. It indicates that extinction did not erase prior learning. .
Which term describes the decreased learning about a CS when it is repeatedly presented alone before conditioning?
Sensitization
Blocking
Latent inhibition
Summation
Latent inhibition arises because the organism learns that the preexposed CS is irrelevant, slowing subsequent CS - US association formation. It differs from blocking, which involves a previously conditioned CS preventing new learning about a new CS. .
Which effect refers to the recovery of a CR when a weakly extinguished stimulus is paired with a novel strong CS?
Disinhibition
Blocking
Overshadowing
External inhibition
External inhibition occurs when a distracting novel stimulus temporarily reduces responding to the CS, but disinhibition is the recovery of an extinguished CR when a novel stimulus accompanies the CS. This question's correct term is disinhibition. .
Which pharmacological agent is known to impair extinction retention and increase spontaneous recovery?
Benzodiazepine
NMDA receptor antagonist
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Beta-blocker
NMDA receptor antagonists like MK-801 impair extinction learning and retention, leading to stronger spontaneous recovery. NMDA receptors are crucial for synaptic plasticity underlying extinction. .
Why does deepened extinction, with compound CS presentations, reduce spontaneous recovery?
It masks the CS completely
It prevents any new learning
It creates stronger inhibitory associations via summation
It re-acquires the original response
Deepened extinction combines two partially extinguished CSs, summing their inhibitory strengths and producing a deeper extinction effect that is less prone to recovery. This intensifies inhibitory learning. .
How does the retrieved-context theory explain spontaneous recovery?
Extinction memory is bound to the extinction context and degrades faster than acquisition memory, allowing retrieval of the original memory after time passes
The unconditioned stimulus regenerates its associative strength over time
Sensory adaptation resets after a rest period
The organism forms a permanent inhibitory link
Retrieved-context theory posits that extinction memories are context-dependent and fade faster than the original acquisition memory. After a rest, the context of acquisition becomes more accessible, leading to the reappearance of the CR. This theory accounts for time-based recovery. .
Which of the following best characterizes the difference between spontaneous recovery and reinstatement?
Spontaneous recovery is time-based; reinstatement requires US-alone presentations
Spontaneous recovery requires a context change; reinstatement does not
Reinstatement erases extinction learning; spontaneous recovery strengthens it
Reinstatement is a form of savings; spontaneous recovery is not
Spontaneous recovery arises after a delay following extinction without further stimuli, whereas reinstatement depends on presenting the US alone after extinction to restore the CR. Both show extinction doesn't erase learning but operate via different triggers. .
In terms of associative strength in the Rescorla - Wagner model, what happens during extinction?
Associative strength becomes maximal
Associative strength remains constant
Associative strength becomes negative permanently
Associative strength decreases due to negative prediction error
During extinction, when the CS is presented without the US, prediction error is negative, reducing associative strength on each trial. This reduction represents the formation of inhibitory associations but does not necessarily go below baseline. Over time, excitatory associations can reappear. .
Which advanced procedure reduces both renewal and spontaneous recovery more effectively than standard extinction?
Only CS-alone presentations with no rest
Massed extinction trials in a single session
Using multiple novel contexts without retrieval
Retrieval-extinction (extinction conducted during reconsolidation window)
Retrieval-extinction entails giving a single CS reminder trial to destabilize the memory, then conducting extinction within the reconsolidation window, leading to more durable reductions in CR, less renewal, and minimal spontaneous recovery. It targets memory reconsolidation. .
Which effect describes the return of responding when a nonextinguished conditioned stimulus is presented following extinction of another CS?
Summation
Blocking
Disinhibition
Overshadowing
Disinhibition occurs when presenting a novel or a nonextinguished CS along with an extinguished CS causes a temporary resurgence of the extinguished CR. The novel stimulus disrupts the suppression of the CR. .
What does the Mackintosh model predict about attention to a conditioned stimulus during extinction?
Attention to the CS decreases as it becomes a poorer predictor of the US
Attention to the CS increases due to prediction error
Attention shifts entirely to the context
Attention remains unchanged throughout extinction
The Mackintosh model asserts that organisms attend more to better predictors of outcomes; during extinction, the CS's predictive value declines, so attention to it decreases, leading to slowed learning and aiding phenomena like spontaneous recovery. .
In contextual renewal paradigms, what is ABC renewal?
Acquisition in A, extinction in A, test in B
Acquisition in Context A, extinction in B, test in C
Acquisition, extinction, and test all in Context A
Acquisition in B, extinction in A, test in B
ABC renewal involves training in one context (A), extinguishing the response in a second context (B), and then testing in a novel third context (C), where the extinguished response often returns. It demonstrates that extinction is context-specific. .
Which neurotransmitter system is implicated in extinction learning and spontaneous recovery modulation?
Dopaminergic exclusively
GABAergic exclusively
Glutamatergic (NMDA receptors)
Cholinergic
NMDA receptor - mediated glutamatergic transmission is essential for synaptic plasticity underlying extinction learning. Blocking NMDA receptors impairs extinction and increases spontaneous recovery, showing their role in inhibitory learning. Other systems modulate but NMDA is critical. .
Which statistical method is best for analyzing the trial-by-trial decline in conditioned responding during extinction?
Mixed-effects regression modeling
Independent t-test
One-way ANOVA on trial blocks only
Chi-square test of proportions
Mixed-effects regression can model individual learning curves across trials and account for within- and between-subject variability. It's superior to block ANOVAs or simple t-tests for trial-level extinction data. .
Which concept asserts that extinction learning involves forming a configural memory of CS - no US?
Dual process theory
Configural cue theory
Elemental theory
Temporal coding hypothesis
Configural cue theory suggests organisms form a unified representation of the CS plus the absence of the US during extinction. This configural memory competes with the original elemental CS - US association, leading to extinction phenomena and spontaneous recovery. .
Which computational model accounts for spontaneous recovery by including a temporal context drift mechanism?
Pearce - Hall model
Temporal Context Model (TCM)
Hull's drive theory
Delta rule
The Temporal Context Model posits that context representations drift over time, altering memory retrieval strength. After extinction, the shift in temporal context allows old acquisition memories to be retrieved, producing spontaneous recovery. .
Which mechanism underlies retrieval-extinction's reduction of spontaneous recovery at the synaptic level?
Destabilization of reconsolidated memory through AMPA receptor endocytosis
Upregulation of NMDA receptors
Long-term potentiation only
GABAergic synaptic strengthening
Retrieval-extinction triggers memory reconsolidation, leading to AMPA receptor internalization and weakening of the original synaptic potentiation supporting the CR. This process reduces spontaneous recovery more than standard extinction. .
In Pavlovian - instrumental transfer (PIT), how can spontaneous recovery of the Pavlovian component influence instrumental performance?
Instrumental behavior remains unaffected
Recovered CS only inhibits instrumental behavior
Only goal-directed actions are suppressed
Recovered Pavlovian CS enhances instrumental responding via general PIT effects
When an extinguished CS undergoes spontaneous recovery, it can again invigorate instrumental responding through general PIT, showing cross-system interactions. This indicates even suppressed Pavlovian memories can modulate actions. .
Which advanced technique can isolate neural ensembles responsible for extinction memory to prevent spontaneous recovery?
Systemic benzodiazepine administration
Optogenetic silencing of extinction-activated neurons
Electrical lesion of the amygdala
Pharmacological blockade of dopamine D2 receptors
Optogenetic techniques can specifically silence neurons activated during extinction, strengthening extinction memory retrieval and preventing spontaneous recovery. This precision avoids broad pharmacological effects. .
How does the Spann - Miller contextual retrieval account differ from traditional renewal explanations?
It emphasizes retrieval cues embedded in temporal context rather than spatial context
It attributes recovery to operant processes
It focuses solely on reinforcement history
It denies any role for context in extinction
The Spann - Miller account suggests that time-based contextual drift functions as a retrieval cue for the original memory, so spontaneous recovery arises from temporal rather than spatial context changes, expanding traditional renewal which focuses on spatial contexts. .
In a hierarchical associative structure, how is spontaneous recovery modulated?
CS - US links become stronger with more context exposure
Context nodes permanently inhibit CS nodes
Higher-order context nodes regain activation over time, reinstating lower-level CS - US links
Only first-order associations matter
In hierarchical associative models, context nodes at higher levels gain influence over time, reactivating the extinguished CS - US associations at lower levels, thereby producing spontaneous recovery. It integrates multi-level representation. .
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Study Outcomes
- Understand spontaneous recovery -
Define the sudden reappearance of an extinguished response and explain how it illustrates core principles of classical conditioning.
- Identify extinguished responses -
Recognize examples of behaviors that have been reduced through extinction procedures and predict when they might reemerge.
- Differentiate related phenomena -
Distinguish spontaneous recovery from similar learning effects like renewal and reinstatement within behavioral psychology.
- Apply learning theories -
Use key concepts from classical conditioning to solve quiz scenarios and reinforce your understanding of behavioral adaptations.
- Recall essential terminology -
Memorize and accurately use terms such as conditioned stimulus, extinction, and spontaneous recovery in context.
- Evaluate your knowledge -
Assess your understanding through quiz feedback and pinpoint areas for further study in learning theory.
Cheat Sheet
- Definition of Spontaneous Recovery -
The sudden reappearance of an extinguished response is called spontaneous recovery and was first observed by Pavlov in his classical conditioning experiments. After an extinguished conditioned stimulus (CS) is given a rest period, it can elicit the conditioned response (CR) again without further pairing with the unconditioned stimulus (US), illustrating how memory traces can resurface.
- Extinction vs. Spontaneous Recovery -
In classical conditioning, extinction occurs when the CS is repeatedly presented without the US, weakening the CR over time. However, even after extinction, a brief rest can trigger spontaneous recovery, demonstrating that the extinguished response in psychology isn't erased but merely suppressed (American Psychological Association, 2013).
- Key Factors Influencing Recovery -
Time intervals and context play critical roles: longer rest periods often yield stronger spontaneous recovery, and changing the environment can amplify the effect (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2017). Remember the mnemonic "TIC" (Time, Interval, Context) to recall these three influences in your next behavioral psychology quiz.
- Distinguishing Renewal and Reinstatement -
Spontaneous recovery differs from renewal (return of CR in a new context) and reinstatement (return after US-alone presentations); each reflects unique learning theory quiz scenarios. Understanding these distinctions helps you interpret complex behavior patterns and design clearer experiments.
- Real-World Applications -
Spontaneous recovery explains relapse in phobia treatments and habit change programs, guiding therapists to schedule "booster sessions" after extinction-based therapy. This concept underscores why a behavioral psychology quiz might ask how to prevent relapse by manipulating reminder cues and contexts.
