Final answer:
Conditioning is a learning process where an organism associates stimuli with results, such as in classical conditioning, or behavior with its consequences, such as in operant conditioning. When positive reinforcement is withdrawn, behaviors previously reinforced are likely to decrease in frequency.
Step-by-step explanation:
Conditioning is a process of learning associations, which is a fundamental concept in psychology. This process involves two main forms: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In classical conditioning, a natural reflex response is elicited by a previously neutral stimulus after it has been repeatedly paired with another stimulus that naturally elicits that response. An example of this is Pavlov's experiments where dogs learned to salivate at the sound of a bell, which had been paired with the presentation of food.
Operant conditioning, on the other hand, involves learning an association between a behavior and its consequences. Positive consequences, like rewards, tend to increase the behavior's occurrence, while negative consequences, such as punishment, decrease it. If a learned behavior, like rats playing basketball for food rewards, no longer results in a desirable consequence, it's likely that the behavior will decrease in frequency.