RESURGENCE OF INFANT CAREGIVING RESPONSES

Two experiments were conducted to identify the conditions likely to produce resurgence among adult human participants. The preparation was a simulated caregiving context, wherein a recorded infant cry Sounded and was terminated contingent upon targeted caregiving responses. Results of Experiment I demonstrated resurgence with human participants in this negative reinforcement preparation. Results of Experiment 2 showed that responses with a longer history of reinforcement showed a stronger resurgence effect relative to responses with a shorter and more recent history of reinforcement. These results show that the resurgence phenomenon Occurs across Populations and types of reinforcers. Additionally, results indicate that length of reinforcement history is a variable that. may affect the magnitude of resurgence.