Extinction will proceed most rapidly if behavior previously had been maintained under a(n) _____ schedule of reinforcement.

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Extinction will proceed most rapidly if behavior had been continuously reinforced, meaning the behavior was rewarded every time it occurred. This is because once the reinforcement stops, the behavior has no prior experience with not being rewarded, and therefore, the behavior is more likely to be extinguished quickly. In contrast, behaviors that were previously reinforced intermittently (like variable ratio or variable interval schedules) are more resistant to extinction because the behavior has experienced periods of no reinforcement before and expects that reinforcement may come again if it continues the behavior.

Extinction Will Proceed Most Rapidly If Behavior Previously Had Been