Final answer:
True, extinction of a negatively reinforced behavior does involve eliminating the escape or avoidance that was reinforcing this behavior. In operant conditioning, removing the negative stimulus that was previously avoided or escaped leads to a decrease in the conditioned response. This is part of the learning process where behaviors are modified based on their consequences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement, "Extinction of a negatively reinforced behavior involves eliminating the escape or avoidance that was reinforcing the behavior," is True. In operant conditioning, extinction refers to the decrease in the conditioned response when reinforcement stops. If a behavior is negatively reinforced by allowing escape or avoidance of an unwanted stimulus, then removing that possibility will result in the reduction of the unwanted behavior over time.
Negative reinforcement increases a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus when the desired behavior occurs. For instance, a car's incessant beeping noise stops when the driver buckles their seatbelt, reinforcing the act of fastening the seatbelt for future drives. Removing this negative stimulus (the beeping noise) would decrease the likelihood of the behavior (buckling the seatbelt).
Therefore, the extinction of a negatively reinforced behavior occurs when the avoidance or escape is no longer present to reinforce the behavior. This is a fundamental principle of operant conditioning, a form of cognitive learning that is concerned with changes in observable behaviors as a result of experience.