Ace the AP Psychology Test 2026 – Unlock Your Mind’s Potential!

The diminishing of a conditioned response is known as extinction. In classical conditioning, extinction occurs when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. For example, if a dog has been conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell (the conditioned stimulus) because it has been associated with food (the unconditioned stimulus), the dog will gradually stop salivating when the bell is rung without the presentation of food.

This process highlights how learned associations can weaken when the reinforcement (the unconditioned stimulus) is removed. Extinction is an important concept in understanding how behaviors can change over time and is a key element in both classical and operant conditioning frameworks.