Which term describes the decrease or disappearance of a previously learned response when reinforcement stops?

Which term describes the decrease or disappearance of a previously learned response when reinforcement stops?

• A. Reinforcers
• B. Desensitization
• C. Extinction of behavior
• D. Learned helplessness

Answer: (C)

Extinction of behavior occurs when a behavior that has been previously reinforced no longer receives the reinforcement, so the behavior gradually decreases in frequency and may eventually disappear. The learner stops seeing the consequence that was maintaining the behavior, so the behavior becomes less likely to occur. Sometimes you’ll see an extinction burst at first—a temporary uptick in the behavior as the person tests whether reinforcement has truly ended. This concept is different from punishment (adding an adverse consequence to reduce behavior), desensitization (gradual exposure to reduce a response to a stimulus), and learned helplessness (a passive state arising from a perceived lack of control).

Extinction of behavior occurs when a behavior that has been previously reinforced no longer receives the reinforcement, so the behavior gradually decreases in frequency and may eventually disappear. The learner stops seeing the consequence that was maintaining the behavior, so the behavior becomes less likely to occur. Sometimes you’ll see an extinction burst at first—a temporary uptick in the behavior as the person tests whether reinforcement has truly ended. This concept is different from punishment (adding an adverse consequence to reduce behavior), desensitization (gradual exposure to reduce a response to a stimulus), and learned helplessness (a passive state arising from a perceived lack of control).