Which term describes the removal of a stimulus following a behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future?

• A. Positive reinforcement
• B. Punishment
• C. Extinction
• D. Negative reinforcement

Answer: (D)

Removing an unpleasant or aversive stimulus after a behavior occurs increases the chance that the behavior will happen again. This is negative reinforcement: the behavior is strengthened by taking away something unpleasant as a result of the behavior. For example, if buckling a seatbelt stops a loud alarm, the removal of that aversive sound reinforces buckling in the future. In contrast, adding something pleasant after a behavior (positive reinforcement) strengthens it in a different way, while extinction and punishment involve reducing behavior rather than increasing it—the former by withholding reinforcement, the latter by introducing punishment or removing a reinforcer. The defining feature here is that the removal of an aversive stimulus follows the behavior to make that behavior more likely next time.