What effect does an extinction strategy have on previously reinforced behaviors?

An extinction strategy is employed in behavior modification to reduce or eliminate previously reinforced behaviors by discontinuing the reinforcement that was maintaining those behaviors. When reinforcement for a behavior is no longer available, the frequency of that behavior is expected to decline over time, leading to its gradual decrease. This process can manifest in various ways, including a temporary increase in the behavior initially as individuals may engage in more of the behavior in an attempt to trigger the reinforcement they previously received, known as an "extinction burst." However, if the extinction strategy is effectively implemented and reinforcement is consistently withheld, the behavior will ultimately diminish as the individual learns that the behavior no longer results in the desired outcome.

In this context, the other options do not accurately describe the outcomes of an extinction strategy. Maintaining or strengthening behaviors would contradict the purpose of extinction, which is to reduce behaviors. Creating confusion in behavioral responses could occur during the extinction process but is not a direct result of the strategy itself, nor is leading to immediate cessation a typical outcome; instead, behaviors usually decrease gradually rather than stopping abruptly. Thus, the correct understanding of extinction leads to recognizing that it generally results in a gradual decrease of previously reinforced behaviors.