Molly attempts to condition her puppy to greet her when she enters the house. She repeatedly pairs her entry to the house with a
treat for the puppy. The puppy eventually acquires this ability, and Molly realizes how irritating it is for the puppy to run up to her every time she enters the house. She attempts to make the puppy stop, and eventually the puppy no longer feels motivated to greet her when she enters the house. The puppy no longer greeting her when she enters the house is an example of ________.
It is very common to realize that it is not so simple to create a new habit and, at the same time, how it can be complicated to break an old habit. In behavioral psychology, we understand operant behavior as that which operates in the environment and transforms it, that is, brings to the organism, to the person, a given consequence. Which is why a behavior holds - or is extinct, stops existing - when the consequences change.
The case shown in the above question is an example of extinction. That's because Molly introduced behavior into her dog, but then worked to get that behavior abandoned. This behavioral abandonment is a call for extinction.
