Final answer:
Extinction in operant conditioning refers to the process where reinforcement for a behavior is stopped, leading to the gradual decrease and eventual cessation of the behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process where a reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior is withheld, resulting in the decrease of that behavior until it no longer occurs is known as extinction. This concept is integral to operant conditioning, a type of learning where behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them.
Operant conditioning utilizes reinforcements and punishments to either increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior. Extinction occurs when the reinforcement that has been consistently associated with a behavior is removed, and as a result, the behavior gradually diminishes. For example, if a child receives praise for completing their homework and the praise stops, the child's motivation to do the homework may decline, potentially leading to extinction of the homework-completing behavior.
In your particular example involving medication dosing as part of a fixed interval reinforcement schedule, if the expected reinforcement (medication) does not occur, the pressing of the button behavior is likely to experience extinction more quickly. Variable ratio schedules, in contrast, tend to be more resistant to extinction.