FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What is the term for the process of weakening and ultimately eliminating a behavior through the removal or withholding of reinforcement?

1. Shaping

2. Extinction

3. Positive punishment

4. Negative punishment

The correct answer is: Extinction

The process of weakening and ultimately eliminating a behavior through the removal or withholding of reinforcement is referred to as extinction. In behavioral psychology, extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, leading to a decrease in the occurrence of that behavior over time. For instance, if a child has been consistently praised (reinforced) for drawing, but suddenly stops receiving praise for that activity, the absence of reinforcement may lead the child to lose interest in drawing, ultimately reducing the frequency of that behavior. This is a core concept in understanding how behaviors can change in response to shifts in reinforcement strategies. In contrast, shaping refers to the gradual process of reinforcing behaviors that gradually approximate a desired behavior, while positive punishment introduces an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment involves removing a pleasant stimulus to reduce a behavior, but it is different from extinction as it still involves some form of consequence. Therefore, extinction specifically focuses on the lack of reinforcement leading to the reduction of a behavior.