FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What is the main goal of the practice of extinction in behavior management?

1. To encourage the repetition of desired behaviors

2. To provide reinforcement to students for good behavior

3. To eliminate undesired behaviors by ignoring them

4. To create a structured environment for students

The correct answer is: To eliminate undesired behaviors by ignoring them

The main goal of the practice of extinction in behavior management is to eliminate undesired behaviors by ignoring them. Extinction operates on the principle that when a specific behavior does not receive reinforcement, it is less likely to be repeated in the future. For example, if a student engages in disruptive behavior to gain attention from a teacher and the teacher consistently ignores the behavior, the student may eventually stop the disruptive actions since they no longer receive the desired attention. In this context, while encouraging the repetition of desired behaviors or providing reinforcement for good behavior is important in a broader behavior management strategy, these do not specifically pertain to the concept of extinction. Additionally, creating a structured environment for students is beneficial for overall classroom management, but it does not directly address the goal of reducing undesired behaviors through the technique of extinction. Therefore, focusing on ignoring unwanted behaviors aligns perfectly with the purpose of extinction in behavior management.