Service Dog Training Certification Practice Test

Extinction in operant conditioning happens when a behavior that used to be reinforced is no longer reinforced, so the behavior declines and eventually stops. The animal or person has learned that the action no longer leads to the expected consequence, and the response weakens over time. This isn’t erased memory; it’s a weakening of the behavior because the reinforcing outcome has been removed. You can see it in a scenario where a rat stops pressing a lever once food is no longer delivered. The behavior may briefly reappear later (spontaneous recovery) or come back more quickly if reinforcement starts again (reacquisition).

This differs from the broader idea of operant conditioning, which is about behavior shaped by consequences; it also differs from classical conditioning, which involves forming associations between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus; and from reinforcement, which is the process that strengthens behavior.