Extinction (psychology)

Extinction in psychology refers to the withholding of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior in order to eliminate that behavior. For example, the child who climbs under his desk to gain attention is ignored until he returns to his seat (extinction).

Extinction In Operant Conditioning
When extinction is applied in a behavioral psychology situation, it is known as an extinction stimulus (SÉ¢ or s delta). When an S delta is applied, it is a signal that reinforcement will not occur in its presence. This is the opposite of a discriminative stimulus. For instance, in an operant chamber, food pellets are only given in the presence of a green light, or a discriminative stimulus. When a red light, or extinction stimulus, is on, food will not be given. (food here is used as an example of a reinforcer).

Successful Extinction Procedures
In order for extinction to work effectively, it must be done consitently. Extinction is considered successful when responding in the presence of an extinction stimulus (a red light or a teacher not giving a bad student attention, for instance) is zero. When a behavior reappers again after it has gone through extinction, it is called spontaneous recovery.