The removal of a positive stimulus is called?

The removal of a positive stimulus is accurately described as extinction, a concept rooted in behavioral psychology. Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer followed by the positive reinforcement that maintained the behavior, leading to a decrease in that behavior over time.

In this context, when a positive stimulus is removed, the individual may stop the behavior that was originally reinforced due to the absence of that desirable outcome. This principle is often employed in various psychological practices to modify behaviors.

Other terms listed, such as aversive control, refer to the use of unpleasant stimuli to influence behavior, while response cost pertains specifically to the removal of a tangible reward as a consequence of an undesirable behavior. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, involves the introduction of a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, which is the opposite of removing a stimulus. Thus, extinction is the most accurate term for the removal of a positive stimulus.