Principlev1
Maintain boundaries consistently during the initial testing
Maintain boundaries consistently during the initial testing phase to avoid creating partial reinforcement schedules that dramatically increase resistance to extinction.
Why This Is a Principle
Derives from habit formation (Habits as Context-Response Associations), temporal gap weakening associations (The strength of association between a stimulus and response), variable ratio reinforcement resistance (Variable ratio reinforcement schedules are the most), and extinction bursts (When a consistently reinforced behavior stops being). This is a critical principle about consistency timing—specifically that inconsistency during testing creates the most difficult-to-change patterns through partial reinforcement.