Question 1

The continued change in the problem behavior following the use of extinction is referred to as:
A) generalization
B) maintenance
C) spontaneous recovery
D) chaining

Accepted Answer

The answer of The continued change in the problem behavior...

Question 2

Ignoring the target behavior will function as an extinction procedure if ____________________________ is the reinforcer maintaining the behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ignoring the target behavior will function as...

Question 3

Tommy's parents used extinction to decrease his behavior of crying when he had to eat vegetables by making him eat them despite his crying.When Tommy is going to be with his grandparents or a babysitter, his parents tell them to make sure Tommy eats his vegetables even if he cries.Which consideration in the use of extinction is being addressed?
A) eliminating a reinforcer
B) maintaining consistency
C) whether it is safe to use extinction
D) ability to tolerate an extinction burst

Accepted Answer

The parents' instruction to the grandparents and babysitter to continue making Tommy eat vegetables despite his crying shows that they are maintaining consistency in the use of extinction as a behavior modification technique. This is an important consideration in the use of extinction to ensure that the behavior is not accidentally reinforced by different people in different contexts.

Question 4

To use extinction, you must eliminate the ___________ that is maintaining the problem behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of To use extinction, you must eliminate the...

Question 5

A teacher determines that Mark frequently fights with other children, because his friends praise him when he fights.The teacher would like to use extinction on his behavior, but she has no control over how Mark's friends react to his fighting.Which consideration in the use of extinction is being addressed?
A) ability to maintain consistency
B) ability to eliminate the reinforcer
C) whether it is safe to use extinction
D) whether an extinction burst is tolerable

Accepted Answer

In order for extinction to work, the reinforcer for the behavior must be eliminated. In this case, Mark's friends praising him for fighting is reinforcing his behavior. Since the teacher has no control over how his friends react, she cannot eliminate the reinforcer and therefore cannot effectively use extinction.

Question 6

When the problem behavior is maintained by a(n) schedule, extinction will be more rapid.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the problem behavior is maintained by...

Question 7

__________________________ is a procedure that involves removing the sensory reinforcer maintaining the target behavior in an attempt to decrease the target behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of __________________________ is a procedure that involves removing...

Question 8

An extinction procedure should be used in conjunction with a(n) ___________ procedure.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An extinction procedure should be used in...

Question 9

Two year old Roscoe pushes the off button on the remote control while the family is watching TV and the family gets upset and scolds him.He continues to push the off button on the remote when they are watching TV.How would the family use extinction in this case?
A) grab the remote from him before he can hit the off button
B) refrain from getting upset and scolding him when he pushes the off button
C) take away a favorite toy when he pushes the off button
D) A and B

Accepted Answer

Extinction involves withholding reinforcement for a behavior in order to reduce its occurrence. In this case, pushing the off button on the remote control is likely being reinforced by the attention and reaction from the family (even if it is negative attention). By refraining from getting upset and scolding him when he pushes the off button, the family would be withholding that reinforcement and potentially reducing the frequency of the behavior. Option A (grabbing the remote from him) would be a form of punishment, not extinction. Option C (taking away a favorite toy) is also punishment, and it may not be directly related to the behavior of pushing the off button, so it is not a good choice for extinction in this case.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT true concerning sensory extinction?
A) it is used when the reinforcer for the behavior is social
B) it is used when the reinforcer involves sensory stimulation
C) it involves changing or eliminating sensory stimulation
D) it has been used with children with autism and developmental disabilities

Accepted Answer

Sensory extinction is used when the reinforcer for the behavior involves sensory stimulation, but it is not specifically related to social reinforcement. Therefore, statement A is not true.

Question 11

The problem behavior will decrease less rapidly during extinction if it was maintained by a(n) ___________ schedule prior to extinction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The problem behavior will decrease less rapidly...

Question 12

When extinction is implemented, the target behavior may temporarily increase in frequency, duration, or intensity.This is known as a(n) ______________________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When extinction is implemented, the target behavior...

Question 13

If a target behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement, extinction involves __________________________ escape from the aversive stimulus when the problem behavior occurs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a target behavior is maintained by...

Question 14

When the problem behavior no longer occurs in all relevant circumstances following extinction, ___________ is said to have occurred.
A) discrimination
B) fading
C) shaping
D) generalization

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the process where a learned behavior is exhibited in different circumstances than just the original learning situation. In this case, when the problem behavior no longer occurs in all relevant circumstances following extinction, it shows that the learning has generalized to other situations.

Question 15

The snack machine is broken so that people can get all of the snacks that are lined up in a row after they put their money in the machine for an item.How would you use extinction for stealing items from this snack machine?
A) have a person observe who steals and make them pay for all the items they steal
B) turn off the machine so that people cannot use it any longer
C) fix the machine so people can only get the item they pay for
D) B and C

Accepted Answer

Extinction involves removing the reinforcement that maintains a behavior, which in this case is getting extra snacks without paying for them. By fixing the machine so people can only get the item they pay for, there is no longer a reinforcement for stealing and the behavior should decrease over time. Observing who steals and making them pay for all the items they steal (option A) could potentially punish the behavior, but it does not remove the reinforcement that maintains the behavior. Turning off the machine (option B) would also remove the reinforcement, but it would also prevent people who wanted to purchase snacks from doing so. Therefore, the best choice is to fix the machine so that it only dispenses the item that was paid for.

Question 16

When an extinction procedure is used, the behavior will ____________________________ in the future.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When an extinction procedure is used, the...

Question 17

You conduct a(n) ___________________________ to identify the reinforcer maintaining the problem behavior before using extinction.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You conduct a(n) ___________________________ to identify the...

Question 18

A parent is considering the use of extinction on her child's tantrum behavior.Before she begins to use extinction, the parent considers whether she can handle the initial increase in the behavior that may occur.In this example, the parent is considering her ability to:
A) maintain consistency
B) identify the reinforcer
C) tolerate an extinction burst
D) A and B

Accepted Answer

Extinction can often lead to an extinction burst, which is a temporary increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of the behavior being targeted. This can be difficult for the parent to tolerate, especially if the behavior is disruptive or dangerous. Therefore, in this example, the parent is considering her ability to handle the initial increase in the behavior that may occur. This means the parent is considering her ability to tolerate an extinction burst.

Question 19

If a behavior is maintained by social positive reinforcement, extinction will involve
A) terminating sensory stimulation for the behavior
B) no longer delivering the reinforcer when the behavior occurs
C) no longer terminating the aversive stimulus when the behavior occurs
D) providing attention for desirable behavior

Accepted Answer

If a behavior is maintained by social positive reinforcement, it means that the behavior is being reinforced by some form of attention or interaction from others. In order to extinguish the behavior, the reinforcer (i.e. attention or interaction) must no longer be delivered when the behavior occurs. This means that choice B, "no longer delivering the reinforcer when the behavior occurs," is the best option.

Question 20

A teacher decides to use extinction on a child's behavior of complaining when he is asked to work on assignments.The teacher conducts a functional assessment to determine which events might be maintaining the behavior.In this case the teacher is considering whether she can:
A) eliminate the reinforcer
B) maintain consistency
C) identify the reinforcer
D) tolerate an extinction burst

Accepted Answer

Conducting a functional assessment helps to identify the reinforcer that is maintaining the behavior. In this case, the teacher wants to determine the function of the complaining behavior (e.g. is it to escape work or gain attention?). Once the function is identified, the teacher can then select an appropriate intervention, such as extinction. However, it is important to identify the reinforcer in order to ensure that the extinction is effective.

Quiz 14: Applying Extinction

The continued change in the problem behavior following the use of extinction is referred to as:

Ignoring the target behavior will function as an extinction procedure if ____________________________ is the reinforcer maintaining the behavior.

To use extinction, you must eliminate the ___________ that is maintaining the problem behavior.

When the problem behavior is maintained by a(n) schedule, extinction will be more rapid.

__________________________ is a procedure that involves removing the sensory reinforcer maintaining the target behavior in an attempt to decrease the target behavior.

An extinction procedure should be used in conjunction with a(n) ___________ procedure.

Two year old Roscoe pushes the off button on the remote control while the family is watching TV and the family gets upset and scolds him.He continues to push the off button on the remote when they are watching TV.How would the family use extinction in this case?

Which of the following is NOT true concerning sensory extinction?

The problem behavior will decrease less rapidly during extinction if it was maintained by a(n) ___________ schedule prior to extinction.

When extinction is implemented, the target behavior may temporarily increase in frequency, duration, or intensity.This is known as a(n) ______________________________.

If a target behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement, extinction involves __________________________ escape from the aversive stimulus when the problem behavior occurs.

When the problem behavior no longer occurs in all relevant circumstances following extinction, ___________ is said to have occurred.

The snack machine is broken so that people can get all of the snacks that are lined up in a row after they put their money in the machine for an item.How would you use extinction for stealing items from this snack machine?

When an extinction procedure is used, the behavior will ____________________________ in the future.

You conduct a(n) ___________________________ to identify the reinforcer maintaining the problem behavior before using extinction.

A parent is considering the use of extinction on her child's tantrum behavior.Before she begins to use extinction, the parent considers whether she can handle the initial increase in the behavior that may occur.In this example, the parent is considering her ability to:

If a behavior is maintained by social positive reinforcement, extinction will involve

A teacher decides to use extinction on a child's behavior of complaining when he is asked to work on assignments.The teacher conducts a functional assessment to determine which events might be maintaining the behavior.In this case the teacher is considering whether she can: