What occurs when reinforcement is no longer provided for a previously reinforced behavior?

What occurs when reinforcement is no longer provided for a previously reinforced behavior?

• A. Acquisition
• B. Extinction
• C. Generalization
• D. Discrimination

Answer: (B)

Withholding reinforcement for a behavior that was previously reinforced leads to extinction: the behavior declines in frequency because the consequence no longer follows. This isn’t forgetting or unlearning; it’s new learning that the behavior will no longer be reinforced. You may see an extinction burst—an initial brief uptick in responding—when reinforcement stops, followed by a gradual decline. If reinforcement were to resume, the behavior could recover quickly; without reinforcement, it will typically diminish and may eventually disappear. The other concepts describe different patterns: acquisition is the initial learning that occurs with consistent reinforcement; generalization is when the behavior occurs in similar but novel situations; discrimination is learning to respond differently to different stimuli based on reinforcement cues.

Withholding reinforcement for a behavior that was previously reinforced leads to extinction: the behavior declines in frequency because the consequence no longer follows. This isn’t forgetting or unlearning; it’s new learning that the behavior will no longer be reinforced. You may see an extinction burst—an initial brief uptick in responding—when reinforcement stops, followed by a gradual decline. If reinforcement were to resume, the behavior could recover quickly; without reinforcement, it will typically diminish and may eventually disappear. The other concepts describe different patterns: acquisition is the initial learning that occurs with consistent reinforcement; generalization is when the behavior occurs in similar but novel situations; discrimination is learning to respond differently to different stimuli based on reinforcement cues.