Which type of reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior?

Negative reinforcement is a concept within operant conditioning that involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior. This contrasts with positive reinforcement, where a pleasant stimulus is added to encourage a behavior.

For instance, if a student studies to avoid the stress of poor grades, the stress (the unpleasant stimulus) is removed when they achieve good grades, thereby reinforcing the studying behavior. The focus here is on the increase in behavior as a result of removing something that is aversive, promoting the desired action.

By understanding negative reinforcement, it becomes clear how behaviors can be shaped and maintained by the cessation of negative experiences, highlighting the dynamic nature of learning and behavior modification.