Among the tactics of experimental science discussed by Sidman (1960) were those used to study transitional behavior. Drawing from his insights, this review considers an often cited but infrequently analyzed aspect of the transition from reinforcement to extinction: the extinction burst. In particular, the review seeks to answer the question posed in its title. The generic definition of an extinction burst as an increase in response rate following the onset of extinction is found to be wanting, raising more questions than it answers. Because questions of definition in science usually come down to those of measurement, the answer to the title's question is suggested to be found in how behavior prior to extinction is maintained and measured, when and how extinction is introduced, and where in time and how behavior early in extinction is measured. This analysis suggests that a single, uniform, and precise definition of the extinction burst is misguided. Examining how each of these facets contributes to what has been described generically as the extinction burst is a small, but important, part of Sidman's methodological legacy to the experimental analysis of behavior.

中文翻译：

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什么是灭绝爆发？：过渡行为分析的案例研究

Sidman (1960) 讨论的实验科学策略中包括用于研究过渡行为的策略。根据他的见解，这篇评论考虑了从强化到灭绝的过渡中一个经常被引用但很少被分析的方面：灭绝爆发。特别是，该评论旨在回答其标题中提出的问题。灭绝爆发的一般定义是灭绝开始后反应率的增加被发现是缺乏的，提出的问题多于答案。由于科学中的定义问题通常归结为测量问题，因此建议在如何维持和测量灭绝之前的行为，何时以及如何引入灭绝，以及在何时何地以及如何行为中找到标题问题的答案早在灭绝被测量。这一分析表明，对灭绝爆发的单一、统一和精确的定义是错误的。研究这些方面中的每一个如何对一般描述为灭绝爆发的事物做出贡献是 Sidman 对行为的实验分析的方法论遗产的一小部分，但很重要。