Which operation is likely to decrease a behavioral response?

An abolishing operation is designed to decrease the value of a reinforcer or punisher, making a specific behavior less likely to occur. By temporarily reducing the effectiveness of a reinforcement or the aversiveness of a punishment, the underlying motivation for the behavior is diminished. For instance, if a child is accustomed to receiving a favored toy every time they misbehave, introducing an abolishing operation such as making the toy less appealing—like taking it away for a period—would likely lead to a decrease in that misbehavior.

In contrast, conditioning establishes new behavioral responses without directly addressing the existing ones. Establishing operations work to increase a behavior by enhancing the value associated with a particular reinforcer, leading to an increase rather than a decrease in the targeted behavior. Neutralization operations involve methods that may temper or alter behavioral responses but do not specifically target the decrease in behavior in the same direct manner as abolishing operations.

Thus, an abolishing operation effectively reduces the likelihood of a behavioral response by changing the context in which reinforcement operates, directly addressing the motivation behind that behavior.