What is the technique called when parents ignore unwanted behavior to reduce its occurrence?

The technique used when parents ignore unwanted behavior to decrease its occurrence is known as extinction. In operant conditioning, extinction occurs when a response that was previously reinforced is no longer reinforced, leading to a decrease in that behavior over time. By ignoring the unwanted behavior, parents remove any attention or reinforcement that the child might receive for acting out, which can result in the child eventually stopping the behavior.

This concept is grounded in the idea that behaviors often persist because they are reinforced in some way, even if that reinforcement is negative attention. By withholding attention, parents effectively reduce the likelihood of the unwanted behavior being repeated. This approach is commonly used to manage minor misbehaviors, as it teaches children that such actions do not yield the desired responses from caregivers.