Which term describes replacing an undesired behavior with a rewarded alternative?

Which term describes replacing an undesired behavior with a rewarded alternative?

• A. Extinction
• B. Positive punishment
• C. Negative reinforcement
• D. Response substitution

Answer: (D)

The main idea is teaching a dog a different, desirable behavior that serves the same purpose as the undesired one and reinforcing that new behavior. This approach is about substitution—you replace the problem behavior with an alternative that you reward, so the dog learns to choose the substitute over the original behavior. For example, if a dog barks for attention, you train a calm sit or a settled look and reinforce it when the dog offers that behavior; the attention comes from the calm behavior, not from barking. Extinction would just reduce the undesired behavior by withholding reinforcement but doesn’t provide a reinforced alternative to take its place. Positive punishment adds something unpleasant to decrease the behavior, rather than offering a rewarding substitute. Negative reinforcement would remove an aversive to increase a behavior, which also doesn’t involve teaching a replacement. So the term that best describes replacing an undesired behavior with a rewarded alternative is response substitution.

The main idea is teaching a dog a different, desirable behavior that serves the same purpose as the undesired one and reinforcing that new behavior. This approach is about substitution—you replace the problem behavior with an alternative that you reward, so the dog learns to choose the substitute over the original behavior. For example, if a dog barks for attention, you train a calm sit or a settled look and reinforce it when the dog offers that behavior; the attention comes from the calm behavior, not from barking. Extinction would just reduce the undesired behavior by withholding reinforcement but doesn’t provide a reinforced alternative to take its place. Positive punishment adds something unpleasant to decrease the behavior, rather than offering a rewarding substitute. Negative reinforcement would remove an aversive to increase a behavior, which also doesn’t involve teaching a replacement. So the term that best describes replacing an undesired behavior with a rewarded alternative is response substitution.