Spontaneous Recovery

Definition

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest or delay. This phenomenon highlights the idea that learned behaviors, once conditioned and later extinguished, can return unexpectedly when certain conditions are met, indicating that the learning is not entirely lost but rather suppressed.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Spontaneous recovery typically occurs after a rest period following extinction, showing that the learned response can return even if it was thought to be eliminated.
2. The strength of the recovered response during spontaneous recovery is often weaker than it was prior to extinction, indicating that some degree of learning has been lost.
3. This phenomenon can be influenced by various factors, including the time elapsed since extinction and environmental cues that might trigger the conditioned response.
4. Spontaneous recovery serves as evidence for the underlying mechanisms of learning and memory, suggesting that experiences can leave lasting impressions even when behaviors seem to fade away.
5. In practical terms, understanding spontaneous recovery helps in fields like therapy and behavior modification, where previous responses may re-emerge unexpectedly.

Review Questions

• How does spontaneous recovery illustrate the underlying principles of classical conditioning?
  • Spontaneous recovery demonstrates key aspects of classical conditioning by showing that conditioned responses can reappear after extinction. Even after the initial pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus has ceased to elicit a response, the fact that the conditioned response can resurface indicates that learning is not entirely erased. This highlights the complexity of memory in behavioral conditioning, where previous experiences still influence future behavior.
• Discuss the implications of spontaneous recovery for behavior therapy and how therapists can address this phenomenon in treatment.
  • In behavior therapy, spontaneous recovery poses challenges since previously extinguished responses may reappear unexpectedly. Therapists must recognize that even when clients seem to have overcome certain conditioned responses, they may still experience relapses due to spontaneous recovery. To manage this, therapists often incorporate ongoing support and reinforcement strategies to help clients sustain their progress and address any re-emerging behaviors effectively.
• Evaluate how spontaneous recovery contributes to our understanding of learning and memory processes in both humans and animals.
  • Spontaneous recovery enriches our comprehension of learning and memory by illustrating that responses learned through conditioning can persist over time, even after apparent extinction. This suggests that memories are not completely erased but may become dormant. The presence of spontaneous recovery in both humans and animals indicates shared underlying mechanisms in the learning processes across species. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to better strategies in educational settings, animal training, and therapeutic interventions.

Related terms

Classical Conditioning: A learning process in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eventually eliciting a conditioned response.

Extinction: The process through which a conditioned response diminishes and eventually disappears when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Response: A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus.