Abstract
Extinguished responses have been shown to reappear under several circumstances, and this reappearance is considered to model behaviors such as relapse after exposure therapy. Conducting extinction in multiple contexts has been explored as a technique to decrease the recovery of extinguished responses. The present meta-analysis aimed to examine whether extinction in multiple contexts can consistently reduce the recovery of extinguished responses. After searching in several databases, experiments were included in the analysis if they presented extinction in multiple contexts, an experimental design, and an adequate statistical report. Cohen’s d was obtained for each critical comparison and weighted to obtain the sample’s average weighted effect size. Analyses were then performed using a multilevel meta-analytic approach. Twenty-five studies were included, with a total sample of 37 experiments or critical comparisons. The analyses showed a large effect size for the sample, moderated by the length of conditioned stimulus exposure, type of experimental subject, and type of recovery. The robust effect of extinction in multiple contexts on relapse should encourage clinicians to consider extinction in multiple contexts as a useful technique in therapy and research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available in the OSF repository, at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/BSMU2.
References
***Articles integrated in the meta-analysis.
Alfaro, F., Navarro, V. M., Laborda, M. A., Betancourt, R., & Miguez, G. (2019). The role of stimuli associated with extinction cues on response recovery [Rol de estímulos asociados a las claves de extinción en la recuperación de respuesta]. Psykhe, 28(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.7764/psykhe.28.1.1282
Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000191
Bandarian Balooch, S., & Neumann, D. L. (2011). Effects of multiple contexts and context similarity on the renewal of extinguished conditioned behavior in an ABA design with humans. Learning and Motivation, 42, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2010.08.008
***Bandarian-Balooch, S., Neumann, D. L., & Boschen, M. J. (2012). Extinction treatment in multiple contexts attenuates ABC renewal in humans. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 50(10), 604-609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2012.06.003
***Bandarian-Balooch, S., Neumann, D. L., & Boschen, M. J. (2015). Exposure treatment in multiple contexts attenuates return of fear via renewal in high spider fearful individuals. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 47, 138-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.12.006
***Bernal-Gamboa, R., Nieto, J., & Uengoer, M. (2017). Effects of extinction in multiple contexts on renewal of instrumental responses. Behavioural Processes, 142, 64-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.06.003
***Bernal-Gamboa, R., Nieto, J., & Gámez, A. M. (2020). Conducting extinction in multiple contexts attenuates relapse of operant behavior in humans. Behavioural Processes, 181, 104261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104261
Betancourt, R., Corada, L., Dominichetti, J., Laborda, M. A., Martínez, G., & Miguez, G. (2008). Effect of extinction in multiple contexts on the renewal of associative ethanol tolerance [Efecto de la extinción en múltiples contextos sobre la renovación de la tolerancia asociativa al etanol]. Psicothema, 20(2), 285–289.
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470743386
Bouton, M. E. (1991). A contextual analysis of fear extinction. In P. R. Martin (Ed.), Handbook of behavior therapy and psychological science: An integrative approach (pp. 435–453). Pergamon Press Inc.
Bouton, M. E. (1993). Context, time, and memory retrieval in the interference paradigm of Pavlovian learning. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 80–99. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.114.1.80
Bouton, M. E. (2002). Context, ambiguity, and unlearning: Sources of relapse after behavioral extinction. Biological Psychiatry, 52, 976–986. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(02)01546-9
Bouton, M. E., & Bolles, R. C. (1979). Contextual control of the extinction of conditioned fear. Learning and Motivation, 10, 445–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/0023-9690(79)90057-2
Bouton, M. E., & King, D. A. (1983). Contextual control of the extinction of conditioned fear: Tests for the associative value of the context. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 9, 248–265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.9.3.248
Bouton, M. E., Woods, A. M., & Pineño, O. (2004). Occasional reinforced trials during extinction can slow the rate of rapid reacquisition. Learning and Motivation, 35(4), 371–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2004.05.001
Bouton, M. E., García-Gutiérrez, A., Zilski, J., & Moody, E. W. (2006a). Extinction in multiple contexts does not necessarily make extinction less vulnerable to relapse. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 983–994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.07.007
Bouton, M. E., Woods, A. M., Moody, E. W., Sunsay, C., & García-Gutiérrez, A. (2006b). Counteracting the context-dependence of extinction: Relapse and some tests of possible methods of relapse prevention. In M. G. Craske, D. Hermans, & D. Vansteenwegen (Eds.), Fear and Learning: Basic Science to Clinical Application. American Psychological Association.
Bouton, M. E., Maren, S., & McNally, G. P. (2021). Behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of Pavlovian and instrumental extinction learning. Physiological Reviews, 101(2), 611–681. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00016.2020
Bowers, M. E., & Ressler, K. J. (2015). An overview of translationally informed treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder: Animal models of pavlovian fear conditioning to human clinical trials. Biological Psychiatry, 78(5), E15–E27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.06.008
Brooks, D. C., & Bouton, M. E. (1993). A retrieval cue for extinction attenuates spontaneous recovery. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 19(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.19.1.77
Brooks, D. C., & Bouton, M. E. (1994). A retrieval cue for extinction attenuates response recovery (renewal) caused by a return to the conditioning context. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 20(4), 366–379. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.20.4.366
Bustamante, J., San Martín, C., Laborda, M. A., & Miguez, G. (2019). An extinction cue does not necessarily prevent response recovery after extinction. Learning and Motivation, 67, 101576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2019.101576
***Bustamante, J., Uengoer, M., Thorwart, A., & Lachnit, H. (2016). Extinction in multiple contexts: Effects on the rate of extinction and strength of response recovery. Learning & Behavior, 44(3), 283-294. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-016-0212-7
Chambless, D. L., & Ollendick, T. H. (2001). Empirically supported psychological interventions: Controversies and evidence. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 685–716. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.685
Chao, W. J. M., Wong, A. V., & McConnell, B. L. (2021). The effects of extinction in multiple spatial contexts on fear recovery in animals and humans: A meta-analysis protocol. PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-144660/v1
Chelonis, J. J., Calton, J. L., Hart, J. A., & Schachtman, T. R. (1999). Attenuation of the renewal effect by extinction in multiple contexts. Learning and Motivation, 30, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1006/lmot.1998.1022
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cooper, H. (2017). Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step approach (5th ed.). Sage Publications Inc.
Cooper, H. (2018). Reporting quantitative research in psychology: How to meet APA style reporting standards (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000178-000
***Cordero, J. M., López Guerra, V. M., & Bonfante R. A. (2014). Effect of extinction in multiple contexts on the renewal of conditioned compensatory responses to ethanol. [Efecto de la extinción en múltiples contextos sobre la renovación de las respuestas compensatorias condicionadas al etanol]. Revista Electrónica de Psicología Iztacala, 17(4), 1622-1647.
Craske, M. G., Hermans, D., & Vervliet, B. (2018). State of the art and future directions for extinction as a translational model for fear and anxiety. Philosophical Transactions Royal Society B, 373, 20170025. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0025
Crombie, K. M., Sartin-Tarm, A., Sellnow, K., Ahrenholtz, R., Lee, S., Matalamaki, M., Adams, T. G., & Cisler, J. M. (2021). Aerobic exercise and consolidation of fear extinction learning among women with posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 142, 103867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103867
Delamater, A. R. (2004). Experimental extinction in Pavlovian conditioning: Behavioural and neuroscience perspectives. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section B, 57(2), 97–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/02724990344000097
Delamater, A. R., & Westbrook, R. F. (2014). Psychological and neural mechanisms of experimental extinction: A selective review. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 108, 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2013.09.016
Denniston, J. C., Chang, R. C., & Miller, R. R. (2003). Massive extinction treatment attenuates the renewal effect. Learning and Motivation, 34(1), 68–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-9690(02)00508-8
Díaz, M. C., Quezada, V. E., Navarro, V. M., Laborda, M. A., & Betancourt, R. (2017). The effect of massive extinction trials on the recovery of human fear conditioning. Revista Mexicana de Psicología, 34(1), 5–12. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=243056045001
***Dunsmoor, J. E., Ahs, F., Zielinski, D. J., & LaBar, K. S. (2014). Extinction in multiple virtual reality contexts diminishes fear reinstatement in humans. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 113, 157-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2014.02.010
Duval, S., & Tweedie, R. (2000). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot–based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0006-341X.2000.00455.x
Egger, M., Davey Smith, G., Schneider, M., & Minder, C. (1997). Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. BMJ, 315(7109), 629–634. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629
Fanselow, M. S. (1994). Neural organization of the defensive behavior system responsible for fear. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1, 429–438. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210947
Fanselow, M. S., & Wassum, K. M. (2016). The origins and organization of vertebrate Pavlovian conditioning. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 8(1), a021717. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a021717
Fernández-Castilla, B., Declercq, L., Jamshidi, L., Beretvas, S. N., Onghena, P., & Van den Noortgate, W. (2020). The application of meta-analytic (multi-level) models with multiple random effects: A systematic review. Behavior Research Methods, 52, 2031–2052. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-020-01373-9
Fernández-Castilla, B., Declercq, L., Jamshidi, L., Beretvas, S. N., Onghena, P., & Van den Noortgate, W. (2021). Detecting selection bias in meta-analyses with multiple outcomes: A simulation study. The Journal of Experimental Education, 89(1), 125–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1582470
***Glautier, S., Elgueta, T., & Nelson, J. B. (2013). Extinction produces context inhibition and multiple contexts extinction reduces response recovery in human predictive learning. Learning & Behavior, 41(4), 341-352. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-013-0109-7
***González, V. V., Navarro, V. Miguez, G., Betancourt, R., & Laborda, M. A. (2016). Preventing the recovery of extinguished ethanol tolerance. Behavioural Processes, 124, 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.01.004
***Gunther, L. M., Denninston, J. C., & Miller, R. R. (1998). Conducting exposure treatment in multiple contexts can prevent relapse. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 75-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7967(97)10019-5
Harris, J. A., Jones, M. L., Bailey, G. K., & Westbrook, R. F. (2000). Contextual control over conditioned responding in an extinction paradigm. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 26, 174–185. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.26.2.174
Hedges, L. V. (1982). Fitting categorical models to effect sizes from a series of experiments. Journal of Educational Statistics, 7(2), 119–137. https://doi.org/10.2307/1164961
***Hermann, A., Stark, R., Müller, E. A., Kruse, O., Wolf, O. T., & Merz, C. J. (2020). Multiple extinction contexts modulate the neural correlates of context-dependent extinction learning and retrieval. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 168, 107150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107150
***Krisch, K. A., Bandarian-Balooch, S., & Neumann, D. I. (2018). Effects of extended extinction and multiple extinction contexts on ABA renewal. Learning and Motivation, 63, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2017.11.001
***Laborda, M. A. & Miller, R. R. (2013). Preventing return of fear in an animal model of anxiety: Additive effects of massive extinction and extinction in multiple contexts. Behavior Therapy, 44, 249-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2012.11.001
Laborda, M. A., & Miguez, G. (2015). Exposure therapy. In E. S. Neukrug (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling & Psychotherapy (1st ed., pp. 385–388). SAGE.
Laborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2011). S-R associations, their extinction, and recovery in an animal model of anxiety: A new associative account of phobias without recall of original trauma. Behavior Therapy, 42(2), 153–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2010.06.002
Laborda, M. A., McConnell, B. L., & Miller, R. R. (2011). Behavioral techniques to reduce relapse after exposure therapy: Applications of studies of experimental extinction. In T. R. Schachtman & S. Reilly (Eds.), Associative learning and conditioning theory: Human and non-human applications (pp. 79–103). Oxford University Press.
Laborda, M. A., Polack, C. W., Miguez, G., & Miller, R. R. (2014). Behavioral techniques for attenuating the expression of fear associations in an animal model of anxiety. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 45(3), 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.02.005
Lipp, O. V., Waters, A. M., Luck, C. C., Ryan, K. M., & Craske, M. G. (2020). Novel approaches for strengthening human fear extinction: The roles of novelty, additional USs, and additional GSs. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 124, 103529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.103529
***MacKillop, J. & Lisman, S. A. (2008). Effects of a context shift and multiple context extinction on reactivity to alcohol cues. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 16(4), 322-331. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012686
McConnell, B. L., & Miller, R. R. (2014). Associative accounts of recovery-from-extinction effects. Learning and Motivation, 46, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2014.01.003
McConnell, B. L., Miguez, G., & Miller, R. R. (2013). Extinction with multiple excitors. Learning & Behavior, 41(2), 119–137. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-012-0090-6
Mellentin, A. I., Skøt, L., Nielsen, B., Schippers, G. M., Nielsen, A. S., Stenager, E., & Juhl, C. (2017). Cue exposure therapy for the treatment of alcohol use disorders: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 57, 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.07.006
Miguez, G., Laborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2014a). Enhancement and reduction of associative retroactive cue interference by training in multiple contexts. Learning & Behavior, 42(4), 318–329. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-014-0149-7
Miguez, G., Witnauer, J. E., Laborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2014b). Trial spacing during extinction: The role of context–us associations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 40(1), 81–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033203
Miller, R. R., & Laborda, M. A. (2011). Preventing recovery from extinction and relapse: A product of current retrieval cues and memory strengths. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 325–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721411418466
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., The PRISMA Group. (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Neumann, D. L. (2006). The effects of physical context changes and multiple extinction contexts on two forms of renewal in a conditioned suppression task with humans. Learning and Motivation, 37, 149–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2005.06.004
Neumann, D. L., Lipp, O. V., & Cory, S. E. (2007). Conducting extinction in multiple contexts does not necessarily attenuate the renewal of shock expectancy in a fear-conditioning procedure with humans. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 385–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.02.001
Nihei, M., Hojo, D., Tanaka, T., & Sawa, K. (2023). A model for recovery-from-extinction effects in Pavlovian conditioning and exposure therapy. Learning & Behavior, 51, 332-345. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-023-00578-0
***Olatunji, B. O., Tomarken, A., Wentworth, B., & Fritzsche, L. (2017). Effects of exposure in single and multiple contexts on fear renewal: The moderating role of threat-specific and nonspecific emotionality. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 54, 270-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.09.004
O’Malley, K. R., & Waters, A. M. (2018). Attention avoidance of the threat conditioned stimulus during extinction increases physiological arousal generalisation and retention. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 104, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2018.03.001
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J. Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., …, Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Parker, Z. J., Waller, G., Gonzalez-Salas Duhne, P., & Dawson, J. (2018). The role of exposure in treatment of anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Psychology & Psychological Therapy, 18, 111–141.
Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned reflexes (G. V. Anrep, Ed. & Trans.). Oxford University Press.
***Pineño, O. & Miller, R. R. (2004). Signaling a change in cue-outcome relation in human associative learning. Learning & Behavior, 32(3), 360-375. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196034
Pittig, A., van den Berg, L., & Vervliet, B. (2016). The key role of extinction learning in anxiety disorders: Behavioral strategies to enhance exposure-based treatments. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 29(1), 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0000000000000220
Polack, C. W., Laborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2013). On the differences in degree of renewal produced by the different renewal designs. Behavioural Processes, 99, 112–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2013.07.006
Quezada, V., Laborda, M. A., Díaz, M., Navarro, V., Mallea, J., Repetto, P., Orellana, G., & Betancourt, R. (2018). Extinction cues do not reduce recovery of extinguished conditioned fear in humans. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 18(1), 39–53.
Rachman, S. (1989). The return of fear: Review and prospect. Clinical Psychology Review, 9(2), 147–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7358(89)90025-1
Rescorla, R. A. (2004). Spontaneous recovery. Learning & Memory, 11(5), 501–509. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.77504
Rescorla, R. A., & Heth, C. D. (1975). Reinstatement of fear to an extinguished conditioned stimulus. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 1(1), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.1.1.88
Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. (1972). A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and non-reinforcement. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical conditioning II: Current theory and research (pp. 64–99). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Ricker, S. T., & Bouton, M. E. (1996). Reacquisition following extinction in appetitive conditioning. Animal Learning & Behavior, 24(4), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03199014. 1038.
Rohatgi, A. (2020). WebPlotDigitizer (Version 4,4) [Computer software]. Retrieved from https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer
San Martín, C., Diaz, F., Cañete, A., Laborda, M. A., & Miguez, G. (2018). Reacquisition of associative tolerance to ethanol: The effect of massive extinction [Readquisición de la tolerancia asociativa al etanol: El efecto de la extinción masiva]. Avances en Psicología Latinoamericana, 36(2), 419–429. https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.5727
Scheveneels, S., Boddez, Y., Vervliet, B., & Hermans, D. (2019). Modeling hierarchical versus random exposure schedules in Pavlovian fear extinction: No evidence for differential fear outcomes. Behavior Therapy, 55(5), 967–977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2019.03.001
***Shiban, Y., Pauli, P., & Mühlberger, A. (2013). Effects of multiple contexts exposure on renewal in spider phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 51, 68-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2012.10.007
***Shiban, Y., Schelhorn, I., Pauli, P., & Mühlberger, A. (2015). Effects of combined multiple contexts and multiple stimuli exposure in spider phobia: A randomized clinical trial in virtual reality. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 71, 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.05.014
Smith, S. M. (1982). Enhancement of recall using multiple environmental contexts during learning. Memory & Cognition, 10, 405–412. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197642
Smith, S. M. (1985). Effects of number of study environments and learning instructions on free-recall clustering and accuracy. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 23, 440–442. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329846
Smith, S. M., Glenberg, A. M., & Bjork, R. A. (1978). Environmental context and human memory. Memory & Cognition, 6, 342–353. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197465
Spix, M., Lommen, M. J. J., & Boddez, Y. (2021). Deleting “fear” from “fear extinction”: Estimating the individual extinction rate via non-aversive conditioning. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 142, 103869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103869
Thomas, B. L., Vurbic, D., & Novak, C. (2009). Extensive extinction in multiple contexts eliminates the renewal of conditioned fear in rats. Learning and Motivation, 40, 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2008.10.002
Uengoer, M., Lissek, S., Tegenthoff, M., Manahan-Vaughan, D., & Lachnit, H. (2020). Principles of extinction learning of nonaversive experience. Neuroforum, 26(3), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.1515/nf-2020-0013
Üngör, M., & Lachnit, H. (2006). Contextual control in discrimination reversal learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 32, 441–453. https://doi.org/10.1037/0097-7403.32.4.441
Vallentine, J., & Bandarian-Balooch, S. B. (2016). Effects of Imaginal Multiple Context Exposure on Renewal of Fear of Cockroaches (Unpublished bachelor's dissertation). Griffith University.
Van den Noortgate, W., López-López, J. A., Marín-Martínez, F., & Sánchez-Meca, J. (2015). Meta-analysis of multiple outcomes: A multilevel approach. Behavior Research Methods, 47, 1274–1294. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-014-0527-2
Van Lissa, C. J. (2017). MetaForest: Exploring heterogeneity in meta-analysis using random forests. Open Science Framework. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KHJGB
Van Lissa, C. J. (2020). Small sample meta-analysis: Exploring heterogeneity using MetaForest. In R. van de Schoot & M. Miočević (Eds.), Small Sample Size Solutions: A Guide for Applied Researchers and Practitioners. Routledge.
***Vansteenwegen, D., Vervliet, B., Iberico, C., Baeyens, F., Van den Bergh, O., Hermans, D. (2007). The repeated confrontation with videotapes of spiders in multiple contexts attenuates renewal of fear in spider-anxious students. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45, 1169-1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.08.023
Vervliet, B., Baeyens, F., Van den Bergh, O., & Hermans, D. (2013a). Extinction, generalization, and return of fear: A critical review of renewal research in humans. Biological Psychology, 92(1), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.01.006
Vervliet, B., Craske, M. G., & Hermans, D. (2013b). Fear extinction and relapse: State of the art. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 215–248. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185542
***Viar-Paxton, M. A. & Olatunji, B. O. (2012). Context effects on habituation to disgust-relevant stimuli. Behavior Modification, 36(5), 705-722. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445512446189
Viechtbauer, W. (2010). Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package. Journal of Statistical Software, 36(3), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v036.i03
Vurbic, D., & Bouton, M. E. (2014). A contemporary behavioral perspective on extinction. In F. K. McSweeney & E. S. Murphy (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of operant and classical conditioning (pp. 53–76). Wiley Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118468135.ch3
Waters, A. M., Ryan, K. M., Luck, C. C., Craske, M. G., & Lipp, O. V. (2021). The effects of presenting additional stimuli resembling the CS+ during extinction on extinction retention and generalisation to novel stimuli. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 114, 103921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2021.103921
Weisman, J. S., & Rodebaugh, T. L. (2018). Exposure therapy augmentation: A review and extension of techniques informed by an inhibitory learning approach. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 41–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.10.010
Wilson, D. B. (n.d.). Practical meta-analysis effect size calculator [Online calculator]. Retrieved from https://campbellcollaboration.org/research-resources/effect-size-calculator.html
***Wong, V. A., Chao, W. J. M., & McConnell, B. L. (2023). Acquisition and extinction across multiple virtual reality contexts. Learning and Motivation, 81, 101857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2022.101857
Zbozinek, T. D., & Craske, M. G. (2018). Pavlovian extinction of fear with the original conditional stimulus, a generalization stimulus, or multiple generalization stimuli. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 107, 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2018.05.009
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the National Agency for Research and Development of Chile (ANID-Chile) for supporting the work of the Research Group in Experimental Psychology and Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Chile. The researchers were partially funded by projects Fondecyt #11200561, #1160132, #11170143, and #1191619, and by ANID PCH/Doctorado Nacional 2019 (#21190913). The authors would like to thank Felipe Alfaro, Francisca Bertin, Esperanza Ibáñez, Luis Pardo, Simón Ramírez, María de los Ángeles Rodríguez, Consuelo San Martín, and Felipe Varas for their comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. Inquiries concerning this research should be addressed to Mario A. Laborda, Department of Psychology, University of Chile; e-mail: mariolaborda@u.uchile.cl.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Javier Bustamante: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing – Original Draft, Writing – Review and Editing, Visualization, Supervision, and Project administration.
Marcela Soto: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing – Review and Editing, and Visualization.
Gonzalo Miguez: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis, Data Curation, Writing – Review and Editing, and Visualization
Vanetza Quezada-Scholz: Validation, Writing – Original Draft, and Writing – Review and Editing.
Rocío Angulo: Validation, Writing – Original Draft, and Writing – Review and Editing.
Mario A. Laborda: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Data Curation, Writing – Review and Editing, Visualization, and Supervision.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors have no competing interests to declare.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Bustamante, J., Soto, M., Miguez, G. et al. Extinction in multiple contexts reduces the return of extinguished responses: A multilevel meta-analysis. Learn Behav (2023). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-023-00609-w
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-023-00609-w