Conditioned response may be eliminated by withdrawing reinforcement. This is known as:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

Extinction, in the context of both classical and operant conditioning, refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus (in classical conditioning) or when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer followed by the reinforcing consequence (in operant conditioning). For instance, in Pavlov's classic experiment, if the bell (conditioned stimulus) was presented many times without the food (unconditioned stimulus), the dog would eventually stop salivating to the bell. Similarly, if a child's tantrum (behavior) was previously reinforced by parental attention but that attention is withdrawn, the tantrum behavior would likely decrease and eventually cease. It is a fundamental process in learning theory, demonstrating that learned behaviors are not permanent and can be unlearned if the association or reinforcement is broken.

The incorrect option is 2:

Discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli, responding only to the conditioned stimulus. It's about specificity in response, not elimination of a response. For example, if a dog is conditioned to salivate to a specific bell tone, discrimination means it won't salivate to a different, albeit similar, sound.

The incorrect option is 3:

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a conditioned response after a period of extinction. It shows that the conditioned response is not completely forgotten, but rather suppressed. It is not the elimination of a response but rather its unexpected return.

The incorrect option is 4:

Stimulus generalization occurs when an organism responds to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus. For example, if a dog is conditioned to a specific bell tone, it might also salivate to other similar bell tones. This is about broadening the response, not eliminating it.