Which scenario demonstrates negative reinforcement?

• A. A baby screams until you give them candy, then she stops.
• B. You get burned by touching the hood of a car in the sun.
• C. Your parents cut off your allowance because you lied.
• D. A student receives praise for turning in homework on time.

Answer: (A)

Negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus. In this scenario, the baby’s crying is the behavior, and it leads to the removal of the ongoing distress once candy is given. Because crying reliably ends the uncomfortable state, crying is more likely to occur again in the future when the baby wants candy. The key idea is that the consequence is the removal of something unpleasant, which makes the behavior more likely to happen again.

The other situations illustrate different processes: getting burned is simply a painful outcome that discourages the behavior; having the allowance cut off is negative punishment (taking away something desirable to reduce a behavior); and receiving praise for turning in homework is positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant consequence to increase a behavior).