Extinction and presentation of response-independent stimuli are two traditional procedures to suspend a response-consequence contingency. The goal of this review is to discuss some similarities and divergences in the behavioral effects of those procedures. Among the similarities, we found responserate deceleration, stimulus control development, renewal, and increase in behavioral variability. Among the divergences, we observed the higher degree of responserate deceleration, the occurrence of emotional responses and behavioral contrast effects under extinction; superstitious behavior and reinstatement under response-independent stimuli conditions. Such behavioral effects were discussed in light of the similarities (non-contingency) and differences (presence versus absence of reinforcing stimuli) in programming those conditions.
Extinction; independent stimuli; non-contingency
