Final answer:
The technique of removing a reinforcing stimulus to reduce a targeted behavior is known as extinction, which is distinct from continuous reinforcement and shaping.
Step-by-step explanation:
The procedure that involves removing the sensory reinforcer maintaining the target behavior in an attempt to decrease the target behavior is known as extinction. Extinction in the realm of operant conditioning refers to the decrease in the conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned stimulus. This process is seen when a reinforced behavior reduces after the reinforcement stops. Unlike continuous reinforcement, where the rewarding of a behavior occurs every time it exhibits, or shaping, where rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior encourages the full behavior to manifest, extinction does the opposite by aiming to diminish the likelihood of the behavior's occurrence.