In the context of operant conditioning, which of the following statements about negative reinforcement is true?

• A. Negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus.
• B. Negative reinforcement involves adding a pleasant stimulus to encourage behavior.
• C. Negative reinforcement decreases the likelihood of a behavior by presenting a negative consequence.
• D. Negative reinforcement is the same as punishment.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of operant conditioning, which involves learning through consequences that follow behavior.
2. Recall that reinforcement (both positive and negative) aims to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again.
3. Define negative reinforcement specifically: it increases behavior by removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus after the behavior.
4. Contrast negative reinforcement with punishment, which aims to decrease behavior by adding or removing stimuli.
5. Evaluate each statement by checking if it correctly describes negative reinforcement as increasing behavior through removal of an unpleasant stimulus.