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

Question

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

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Extinction involves removing the reinforcement that is maintaining a behavior in order to decrease the frequency of that behavior. In this case, Roscoe is pushing the off button on the remote control in order to get a reaction from his family members. By refraining from getting upset and scolding him when he pushes the off button, the family is removing the reinforcement (attention and reaction) that is maintaining this behavior, which should eventually lead to a decrease in the frequency of the behavior. Choice A would not be an effective use of extinction because it involves physically taking away the source of reinforcement, rather than removing the reinforcement itself. Choice C also would not be an effective use of extinction because it involves punishing Roscoe for his behavior, rather than removing the reinforcement.

Two Year Old Roscoe Pushes the Off Button on the Remote