Behavioral technique described as reducing a behavior by removing positive reinforcement, used in token economies is called what?

• A. Time-out
• B. Extinction
• C. Punishment
• D. Response Cost

Answer: (D)

In token economies, what reduces a behavior by taking away a positive reinforcement is called response cost. Tokens earned for good behavior act as the positive reinforcers, so when a misbehavior occurs and tokens (or the opportunity to earn them) are removed, the consequence makes the undesired behavior less likely to happen again. This is a form of negative punishment because you’re taking away a valued resource to decrease the behavior.

Extinction would involve stopping reinforcement altogether for the behavior going forward, not necessarily taking away tokens that have already been earned. Time-out removes the person from the reinforcing environment for a period, rather than removing tokens. Punishment is the broader category, but the specific mechanism here—losing tokens after a violation—fits the definition of a response cost.