Cadet Competition Written Practice Exam

What is the term for when an unpleasant stimulus is removed to encourage a desired behavior?

1. Positive reinforcement

2. Punishment

3. Negative reinforcement

4. Extinction

The correct answer is: Negative reinforcement

The term that refers to the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to encourage a desired behavior is indeed negative reinforcement. This concept is rooted in behavioral psychology, where the idea is that by eliminating something undesirable, an individual is more likely to engage in a specific behavior in the future. For example, if a student studies hard to avoid poor grades (the unpleasant stimulus), their effort is reinforced by the absence of those poor grades, thereby encouraging them to continue studying in the future. In this way, negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by removing a negative outcome. The other terms provide different contexts: positive reinforcement involves introducing a pleasant stimulus to increase behavior, punishment aims to reduce an undesired behavior by adding an unpleasant consequence, and extinction refers to the process of reducing a behavior by ceasing to reinforce it. Understanding these distinctions helps to clarify how different types of reinforcement and consequences can shape behavior.