Discontinuing the reinforcer maintaining a behavior results in a decrease of that behavior due to lack of reinforcement. What is this procedure called?

• A. Extinction
• B. Attention Extinction
• C. Escape Extinction
• D. Extinction Burst

Answer: (A)

Extinction is the process here. It means stopping the reinforcement that previously followed the behavior, so the behavior loses its consequence and tends to decline over time. When the reinforcer that was maintaining the behavior is no longer provided, the behavior is less likely to occur in the future. You might also see an extinction burst at the start—a temporary spike in behavior right after extinction begins—but the overall effect is a decrease due to lack of reinforcement. The other terms refer to extinction focused on a specific reinforcer (like attention or escape) or to that initial burst, not the general procedure itself.