Using a virtual reality resurgence task to compare time-out and extinction during alternative reinforcement

Recent studies on the resurgence of human operant behavior have failed to identify a difference in recurrence mitigation between traditional response reduction procedures (e.g. extinction) and negative reinforcement alternatives (e.g. time out). The present study employed a virtual reality-based task to enhance human ecological validity of the task while evaluating the difference between extinction and time out of the target response during a resurgence procedure. Participants were exposed to a multiple schedule consisting of alternating extinction and a time-out component for a single 10-minute session during which the target response was acquired, eliminated and tested for recurrence. Twenty participants were exposed to the procedure, which allowed the assessment of recurrence effects when participants were first exposed to either extinction or time out. No statistically significant difference was found in resurgence mitigation between participants regardless of the order of presentation. This work highlights the methodological innovation of embedding extinction and time-out procedures within a virtual reality environment, offering a promising framework for studying complex behavioral processes. Future directions are suggested to refine virtual reality-based procedures. • Resurgence of operant responses was found with a virtual reality task. • Time-out did not mitigate target responding more than extinction. • Virtual reality is proposed as an ecological alternative to traditional procedures.