Which extinction procedure reduces problem behavior maintained by access to a preferred item?

Which extinction procedure reduces problem behavior maintained by access to a preferred item?

• A. Escape extinction
• B. Tangible extinction
• C. Sensory extinction
• D. Attention extinction

Answer: (B)

This item tests matching the extinction procedure to the type of reinforcement maintaining the behavior. When problem behavior is reinforced by access to a preferred tangible item, the appropriate approach is tangible extinction: you withhold access to that item after the behavior occurs, so the reinforcement no longer follows the response. Over time, the behavior should decrease because the reinforcement contingency has been removed. In practice, you may need to provide alternative ways to obtain the item or teach a suitable request, but the key idea is that the item is no longer delivered following the behavior. The other extinction types target different reinforcers: escape extinction for the removal of demand-avoidance reinforcement, sensory extinction for automatic sensory reinforcement, and attention extinction for reinforcement of attention.

This item tests matching the extinction procedure to the type of reinforcement maintaining the behavior. When problem behavior is reinforced by access to a preferred tangible item, the appropriate approach is tangible extinction: you withhold access to that item after the behavior occurs, so the reinforcement no longer follows the response. Over time, the behavior should decrease because the reinforcement contingency has been removed. In practice, you may need to provide alternative ways to obtain the item or teach a suitable request, but the key idea is that the item is no longer delivered following the behavior. The other extinction types target different reinforcers: escape extinction for the removal of demand-avoidance reinforcement, sensory extinction for automatic sensory reinforcement, and attention extinction for reinforcement of attention.