Which statement describes negative reinforcement?

• A. Taking something bad away to increase wanted behavior.
• B. Adding something bad to decrease unwanted behavior.
• C. Taking something good away to decrease unwanted behavior.
• D. Providing a reward for good behavior.

Answer: (A)

Negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior by removing something unpleasant after the behavior occurs. For example, if buckling a seatbelt stops a loud warning beep, the removal of that aversive beep makes buckling more likely in the future. The idea is that the behavior is strengthened because an undesirable stimulus is taken away.

The other descriptions correspond to different processes: adding something unpleasant to reduce behavior is positive punishment; taking away something desirable to reduce behavior is negative punishment; providing a reward for a behavior is positive reinforcement.