Consuming a substantial amount of a reinforcer, thus temporarily decreasing the value of that reinforcer, is known as what?

• A. Deprivation
• B. Satiation
• C. Extinction
• D. Attention Extinction

Answer: (B)

Satiation is when the value of a reinforcer temporarily decreases after you’ve consumed a substantial amount of it. As you fill up on the reinforcer, it becomes less effective at reinforcing the desired behavior, so that same behavior is less likely to occur for a while. For example, after a big meal, food no longer motivates you as strongly and you’re less likely to seek out more food until you’re hungry again. This differs from deprivation, which increases the reinforcer’s value when you haven’t had it in a while; extinction, which involves withholding reinforcement to reduce a behavior, and attention extinction, which specifically withholds attention as a reinforcer.