Which procedure is defined as withholding access to reinforcers by removing the learner from the reinforcing environment?

• A. Planned ignoring
• B. Time-out
• C. Contingent observation
• D. Exclusion time-out

Answer: (D)

Removing a learner from the reinforcing environment to withhold access to reinforcement is exclusion time-out. The essential idea is to interrupt the opportunity to obtain reinforcement by placing the learner in a separate, non-reinforcing setting for a brief, predefined period. This removal reduces the chance that the problem behavior will be reinforced during the time-out, making the behavior less likely to occur again.

Other options describe nonexclusionary approaches. Planned ignoring involves staying in the same environment but not attending to the behavior, so reinforcement opportunities remain available elsewhere. Contingent observation means the learner can observe others from a designated vantage point without full participation, again without leaving the reinforcing setting. Since those approaches do not remove the learner from the source of reinforcement, they are not exclusion time-out.