Extinction means to stop a behavior by removing all reinforcement.

Extinction means to stop a behavior by removing all reinforcement.

• A. Extinction
• B. Punishment
• C. Reinforcement
• D. Motivation

Answer: (A)

Extinction is the process of withholding the reinforcement that has maintained a behavior, so the behavior tends to decrease over time. The statement captures this idea: by removing the reinforcer for a behavior, you reduce how often that behavior occurs. In practice, you stop giving the dog the treat, praise, or attention that followed the behavior. Sometimes an extinction burst occurs—a brief spike in the behavior before it fades. Extinction is different from punishment, which adds a negative consequence to reduce a behavior, and from reinforcement, which adds a consequence to increase a behavior. Motivation isn’t a formal term used to describe this learning process.

Extinction is the process of withholding the reinforcement that has maintained a behavior, so the behavior tends to decrease over time. The statement captures this idea: by removing the reinforcer for a behavior, you reduce how often that behavior occurs. In practice, you stop giving the dog the treat, praise, or attention that followed the behavior. Sometimes an extinction burst occurs—a brief spike in the behavior before it fades. Extinction is different from punishment, which adds a negative consequence to reduce a behavior, and from reinforcement, which adds a consequence to increase a behavior. Motivation isn’t a formal term used to describe this learning process.