What happens to a behavior when reinforcement is no longer provided?

What happens to a behavior when reinforcement is no longer provided?

• A. Spontaneous recovery
• B. Generalization
• C. Discrimination
• D. Extinction

Answer: (D)

When reinforcement stops, the behavior loses the consequence that was maintaining it, so the likelihood of the behavior occurring declines over time and may eventually disappear. This is extinction. You might also see an extinction burst at the beginning—an initial uptick in the behavior—before it starts to fade. After extinction, spontaneous recovery can occur, where the behavior briefly returns after a rest, but it usually wanes again without reinforcement. Generalization and discrimination are different processes: generalization is responding to similar cues in a similar way, while discrimination is learning to respond differently to distinct cues. In practice, to reduce an unwanted behavior, you withhold reinforcement for that behavior and continue reinforcing desired alternatives.

When reinforcement stops, the behavior loses the consequence that was maintaining it, so the likelihood of the behavior occurring declines over time and may eventually disappear. This is extinction. You might also see an extinction burst at the beginning—an initial uptick in the behavior—before it starts to fade. After extinction, spontaneous recovery can occur, where the behavior briefly returns after a rest, but it usually wanes again without reinforcement. Generalization and discrimination are different processes: generalization is responding to similar cues in a similar way, while discrimination is learning to respond differently to distinct cues. In practice, to reduce an unwanted behavior, you withhold reinforcement for that behavior and continue reinforcing desired alternatives.