What is the term used when a conditioned response reappears after a period of extinction and no exposure?

Spontaneous recovery refers to the phenomenon where a conditioned response that has been extinguished reemerges after a period of time without exposure to the conditioned stimulus. After extinction occurs, where the conditioned response diminishes due to repeated presentations of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus, there can be a temporary lapse in time where no conditioning occurs. Following this break, if the conditioned stimulus is presented again, the conditioned response can sometimes spike back up, even without any further reinforcement or prompting. This indicates that the learning has not been completely erased but rather has merely been suppressed during the extinction phase. This concept is fundamental to understanding classical conditioning and emphasizes the sometimes non-linear nature of learned behaviors.

In contrast, acquisition refers to the initial stage of learning when a response is first established and gradually strengthened. Extinction is the process through which the conditioned response decreases and eventually disappears due to lack of reinforcement. Shaping, on the other hand, involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior, which is not directly related to the reemergence of a previously learned response.