Which statement correctly defines negative reinforcement?

• A. Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior
• B. Removing an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior
• C. Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior
• D. Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior

Answer: (A)

Negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by removing an aversive condition right after that behavior occurs. The key is that something unpleasant is taken away, which makes the behavior more likely to happen again in the future. For example, when you fasten your seatbelt and the car alarm stops, the removal of the annoying alarm reinforces buckling up. It’s not punishment, which aims to reduce behavior; instead, it increases the likelihood of the behavior by removing a negative condition.

The other statements shift away from this idea: adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior describes punishment, not reinforcement; adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior describes positive reinforcement; removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior describes negative punishment.