What does negative reinforcement involve?

Negative reinforcement is a concept in behavior analysis that refers to the process of increasing the likelihood of a behavior by removing an aversive stimulus following that behavior. When a specific behavior leads to the cessation of an unpleasant condition, it reinforces that behavior, making it more likely to be repeated in the future. For example, if a child cleans their room to stop their parent's nagging, the removal of the nagging reinforces the cleaning behavior.

In contrast, introducing a positive stimulus to encourage a behavior is a description of positive reinforcement, not negative reinforcement. Offering rewards after a behavior response is also indicative of positive reinforcement, where the addition of a pleasurable stimulus increases the frequency of the behavior. Using punishment to eliminate ineffective behaviors is not related to negative reinforcement; rather, it refers to a different operant conditioning principle aimed at decreasing unwanted behaviors. Thus, the correct understanding of negative reinforcement highlights the role of removing an aversive stimulus to encourage desired behavior.