Extinction is a decrease in strength, frequency, or stopping of a learned response because of failure to continue pairing US and CS or withholding reinforcement.
For instance, your dog would come running into the kitchen expecting to be fed when he/she heard the electric can opener. The can opener breaks and you resort to a manual can opener. Months later you buy a new electric can opener. The dog does not come running when he/she hears the sound of the new can opener since the connection between the sound of the can opener and the food has become extinct.
Difficulty of extinguishing a conditioned response depends on the following:
Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished response after the passage of time without training.
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