Which process eliminates an undesired response by withholding reinforcement, causing the behavior to fade and disappear?

• A. Shaping
• B. Punishment
• C. Extinction
• D. Reinforcement Scheduling

Answer: (C)

Extinction in operant conditioning is when a behavior that used to be rewarded no longer receives reinforcement, so the dog stops doing it. In a training scenario, if a dog learns to perform a behavior because a reward followed it, but you stop giving the reward, the behavior gradually fades and disappears as the association weakens. You might see a brief extinction burst—a small uptick in the behavior at first—as the dog tests whether a reward will return. With consistent withholding of reinforcement, the undesired response is no longer reinforced and thus fades away. This is different from punishment, which adds an aversive outcome or removes a different reward to reduce behavior. Extinction is a key tool for reducing unwanted behaviors by removing the payoff that maintained them.