Extinction Burst

An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or variability of a previously reinforced behavior that often occurs immediately after reinforcement for that behavior is withdrawn, before the behavior eventually declines through extinction. For example, a vending machine that stops dispensing a snack after payment may prompt a person to press the button more times, more forcefully, or try new buttons, before they give up entirely. The burst is of particular practical concern in behavioral interventions, since a behavior appearing to get temporarily worse right after a consequence is removed can be mistaken for the intervention failing, when it is actually an expected phase on the way to the behavior's decline.