What occurs during extinction in behavioral conditioning?

During extinction in behavioral conditioning, the response is extinguished after being shown without reinforcement. This process involves the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the reinforcement that supported it is withdrawn. For example, if a dog has been trained to sit on command with the use of treats (reinforcement) and then the treats are no longer given when the command is issued, the dog will eventually stop sitting as a learned response.

In this context, the fact that the conditioned behavior is no longer reinforced leads to a decrease in that behavior. Over time, without the reinforcement, the association between the trigger (such as a command or a stimulus) and the response (like sitting) weakens, resulting in extinction. This principle is foundational in understanding how behaviors can be modified or eliminated through conditioning strategies.