One risk of using extinction alone to treat a problem behavior is:

• A. Extinction alone guarantees that the behavior will never return in the future.
• B. The behavior will immediately stop without any side effects.
• C. The behavior may temporarily increase in frequency or intensity before decreasing, known as an extinction burst.
• D. The individual will always develop a new, more adaptive behavior automatically.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of extinction in behavior therapy: Extinction involves the discontinuation of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, which typically leads to a decrease in that behavior over time.
2. Recognize that extinction does not guarantee immediate cessation of the behavior; instead, the behavior may initially increase in frequency or intensity. This phenomenon is called an extinction burst.
3. Identify that an extinction burst is a temporary increase in the behavior as the individual tries harder to obtain the previously reinforced outcome before the behavior eventually decreases.
4. Note that extinction alone does not ensure the individual will develop new, more adaptive behaviors automatically; additional strategies may be needed to teach alternative behaviors.
5. Conclude that one risk of using extinction alone is the extinction burst, where the behavior temporarily worsens before improving, which can be challenging to manage in treatment.