When applying extinction, what should be targeted for elimination?

When applying extinction, the focus is on eliminating a specific behavior that is being reinforced. Extinction involves discontinuing the reinforcement that maintains a particular behavior, leading to a decrease in that behavior over time. By targeting the behavior itself, practitioners aim to reduce occurrences without affecting the individual or the environment.

This method is grounded in the principles of behavior analysis, where the underlying assumption is that behaviors that are reinforced are more likely to occur again. Therefore, by removing the reinforcement for the problematic behavior, the likelihood of the behavior repeating diminishes. It’s essential to carefully identify precisely which behavior is being reinforced to effectively implement extinction.

Focusing on the student, the environment, or the reinforcement system does not align with the methodology of extinction. While those elements can have an impact on behavior, the core of extinction is explicitly the attention and action directed at the behavior that needs to be reduced or eliminated.