Citrus Inc., a leading Internet service provider, provides its top managers with a bonus every year. However, this year the company performed poorly and its average stock price dropped below the industry standards. The company decided not to reward the managers this time around. This scenario typically illustrates the reinforcement contingency of _____.
A) extinction
B) punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) positive reinforcement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, leading to a decrease in that behavior. In this case, the managers' bonuses (reinforcement) are withheld due to poor performance, illustrating extinction.