National Counselor Exam Practice Test 2025 – Comprehensive Study Resource

Intermittent reinforcement is the most difficult to extinguish due to the unpredictability and irregularity of reward presentation. When a behavior is reinforced intermittently, it is not rewarded every time it occurs, leading to a degree of uncertainty for the individual about when the reward will come. This unpredictability makes the behavior more resistant to extinction because the absence of a reward does not immediately indicate that the behavior is no longer effective; the individual may continue the behavior in anticipation of future rewards.

In contrast, continuous reinforcement, where a behavior is rewarded every time it occurs, tends to lead to a quicker extinction process because the individual learns quickly that the behavior is no longer resulting in a reward. Fixed interval schedules also lead to predictable patterns, where a reward is given after a set period, leading eventually to decreased motivation once rewards stop. Variable interval schedules provide some level of unpredictability similar to intermittent schedules but typically lead to quicker extinction compared to true intermittent reinforcement, where the variability of the timing or conditions under which reinforcement is provided is more pronounced.

Overall, the periodic and unpredictable nature of intermittent reinforcement solidifies the behavior more strongly, making it less likely to be extinguished quickly.