Ew. Corty et B. Coon, THE EXTINCTION OF NATURALLY-OCCURRING CONDITIONED REACTIONS IN PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USERS - ANALOG STUDIES, Addictive behaviors, 20(5), 1995, pp. 605-618
In the present series of studies we develop an analog approach for the
study of conditioned reactions to drug stimuli. The analog we study i
s the naturally occurring conditioned reaction of salivation at the si
ght of a lemon. We show that this conditioned reaction can be extingui
shed, that spontaneous recovery occurs, and that the conditioned react
ion increases after ''relapse.'' Further, we show that massed extincti
on trials lead to greater extinction than do spaced trials. This analo
g provides an approach that can be used to develop cue-exposure treatm
ents that minimize spontaneous recovery from extinction and reduce the
likelihood of relapse.