Extinction differs from punishment in that extinction involves what mechanism?

• A. Withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior.
• B. Increasing reinforcement to suppress behavior.
• C. Punishing the behavior to reduce it.
• D. Ignoring the behavior with no consequence.

Answer: (A)

Extinction works by stopping the reinforcement that used to follow the behavior. When a response no longer leads to the reward or consequence that maintained it, the behavior tends to occur less often because the motivating benefit has been withdrawn. This withdrawal of reinforcement is the key mechanism that reduces the behavior. Punishment, in contrast, reduces behavior by delivering an aversive consequence or removing a desirable one after the behavior, which is a different approach. Increasing reinforcement would make the behavior more, not less, likely to occur. Ignoring the behavior with no consequence can resemble extinction, but the essential mechanism is specifically withholding the reinforcement that used to follow the behavior.