Those who have a basic familiarity with behavior psychology can skip to the next paragraph. In the terminology of this discipline, an "extinction burst" is the name for the phenomenon that often occurs when a previously reinforced behavior ceases to be reinforced. The frequency and intensity of the behavior increase just before the behavior ceases, or is extinguished. (A classic example is when you put money in a vending machine and your soda doesn't come out. Before walking away in disgust and frustration, --extinction--you are likely to engage in an extinction burst: you push the button several more times, jiggle the change return, perhaps even slap, kick, or try to shake the machine.)
In our area, we had a few days of beautiful, mild spring weather, and then suddenly winter seemed to come back with a vengeance, with several days of nearly constant snowfall. Yesterday, referring to this phenomenon, commented yesterday, "Winter is having an extinction burst." It looks like some of that training he's done with his pet rat has also colored his perception of the rest of the world.
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