Extinction in classical conditioning occurs when:
AA neutral stimulus is presented alongside the conditioned stimulus
BThe unconditioned stimulus is presented without the conditioned one
CThe conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned one
DThe conditioned response is punished each time it is displayed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned one
1. A conditioned response survives only while the conditioned stimulus keeps predicting the unconditioned stimulus.
2. Extinction is the decrease in that response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented with the conditioned stimulus.
3. In procedure, you keep giving the conditioned stimulus but withhold the unconditioned stimulus, as Pavlov did by sounding the tone without meat powder.
4. Reversing the two stimuli describes no real procedure, and punishment belongs to operant conditioning, not classical extinction.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Learning", §6.2 Classical Conditioning_
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