When Skinner withheld the reinforcers for rats in a Skinner box continuously,the rats:
A) looked for food elsewhere in the box.
B) ran wildly around the box.
C) eventually stopped pressing the lever.
D) did nothing.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When Skinner withheld the reinforcers continuously, the rats eventually stopped pressing the lever because they learned that their behavior was not resulting in any reward. This phenomenon is called extinction, which is the weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned behavior due to the lack of reinforcement.

When Skinner Withheld the Reinforcers for Rats in a Skinner