Which term denotes the process by which a conditioned stimulus gradually loses the ability to evoke conditioned responses when it is no longer followed by the unconditioned stimulus?

• A. Spontaneous recovery
• B. Extinction
• C. Reconditioning
• D. Habituation

Answer: (B)

Extinction is the process in classical conditioning where a conditioned stimulus gradually loses its ability to trigger the conditioned response when it is no longer paired with the unconditioned stimulus. By repeatedly presenting the CS alone, the learner updates its expectation that the CS predicts the US, so the strength of the CR wanes and eventually stops. It’s important to remember that extinction isn’t erasing the original learning; the association remains latent and can reemerge under certain conditions, such as spontaneous recovery after a break or quicker relearning if the CS and US are paired again (reconditioning). This helps distinguish extinction from habituation (decreased response to a repeated stimulus) and from other processes that change how we respond to stimuli.