LEAPS Skill Acquisition Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive Test Preparation

A response becoming less resistant to extinction in behavioral practices can be influenced significantly by the rate and consistency of reinforcement. When the schedule of reinforcement is thickened too quickly, it can lead to confusion and reduce the behavior's stability. Rapidly increasing the number of responses required to achieve reinforcement can overwhelm the learner, making them less able to maintain the conditioned behavior.

In contrast, strategies such as using variable reinforcement schedules or providing continuous reinforcement tend to strengthen responses, making them more resilient against extinction. Variable reinforcement involves providing reinforcements at irregular intervals, which can enhance behavior persistence compared to fixed schedules. Continuous reinforcement, while effective initially, often leads to quicker extinction when that reinforcement stops because the association is heavily reliant on immediate rewards.

Similarly, decreasing the delivery of reinforcements can lead to frustration or withdrawal of the behavior rather than creating resilience. Thus, the rapid thickening of reinforcement schedules can lead to inconsistency in behavior response, resulting in a lesser resistance to extinction.