Which term describes the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period and reexposure to the conditioned stimulus?

Which term describes the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period and reexposure to the conditioned stimulus?

• A. Extinction
• B. Renewal
• C. Blocking
• D. Spontaneous Recovery

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that extinction doesn’t erase the original association, it creates a new inhibitory learning that suppresses the response. After a rest period, simply reintroducing the conditioned stimulus can bring back the response, even if the behavior had seemed extinguished. This reappearance after a pause is called spontaneous recovery. It shows that the original CS–US connection is still present in memory, and the expression of the conditioned response can resume once the inhibitory influence weakens with time. This is distinct from renewal, which would occur if the response reappeared after changing the context, not just after a rest. It’s also different from blocking, where prior learning prevents new associations from forming. And extinction itself is the fading of the response when the CS is presented without the US, not necessarily a reappearance after a break.

The main idea here is that extinction doesn’t erase the original association, it creates a new inhibitory learning that suppresses the response. After a rest period, simply reintroducing the conditioned stimulus can bring back the response, even if the behavior had seemed extinguished. This reappearance after a pause is called spontaneous recovery. It shows that the original CS–US connection is still present in memory, and the expression of the conditioned response can resume once the inhibitory influence weakens with time.

This is distinct from renewal, which would occur if the response reappeared after changing the context, not just after a rest. It’s also different from blocking, where prior learning prevents new associations from forming. And extinction itself is the fading of the response when the CS is presented without the US, not necessarily a reappearance after a break.