Kentucky Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LCADC) Practice Test 2026 - Free LCADC Practice Questions and Study Resources

In operant conditioning, behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it. Punishment is a type where a consequence is applied to decrease the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. It directly fits the idea of operant conditioning as a method to reduce behavior through consequences.

Extinction is related but is better thought of as a procedure: withholding reinforcement that previously maintained a behavior, which leads to the behavior fading over time. Observational learning is learning by watching others, not by direct consequences to one's own behavior, so it’s not operant conditioning. Positive reinforcement is also operant conditioning, but it increases behavior by presenting a reinforcer, whereas punishment specifically aims to decrease behavior.