What technique is a teacher using when they ignore a student’s behavioral outbursts?

The technique being utilized when a teacher ignores a student's behavioral outbursts is known as extinction. In behavioral terms, extinction refers to the process of eliminating a behavior by withholding reinforcement that previously maintained that behavior. When a teacher decides to ignore a student's disruptive actions, they are effectively removing attention, which is often a form of reinforcement for the student. By not responding to the outbursts, the teacher aims to decrease the likelihood of such behaviors occurring in the future, based on the premise that if the behavior is not rewarded with attention, it will eventually diminish.

Understanding the context of other choices helps to clarify why extinction is the correct answer. Reinforcement involves providing a consequence that strengthens a behavior, which is not applicable in this scenario since the teacher is actively ignoring the behavior. Psychological redirection typically refers to redirecting a student's focus from a negative behavior to a positive one, which is not happening in this case. Behavioral intervention encompasses a broad range of strategies to promote positive behavior, but ignoring outbursts specifically aligns with the principles of extinction where the focus is on stopping the behavior rather than reinforcing or redirecting it.