Which statement best differentiates positive reinforcement from negative reinforcement?

Which statement best differentiates positive reinforcement from negative reinforcement?

• A. Positive reinforcement adds a reward to increase behavior; negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus to increase behavior
• B. Both involve adding rewards to increase behavior
• C. Positive reinforcement removes something unpleasant
• D. Negative reinforcement punishes the behavior

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how the consequence changes the likelihood of the behavior by either adding something desirable or removing something unpleasant. Positive reinforcement adds a reward after the desired behavior to increase its future occurrence. Negative reinforcement increases the behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when the behavior occurs, which makes the behavior more likely to happen again. The other statements drift from this distinction: thinking both cases involve adding rewards ignores the removal of an unpleasant stimulus; saying positive reinforcement removes something unpleasant confuses the direction of the effect; and saying negative reinforcement punishes the behavior describes punishment, which aims to decrease behavior rather than increase it. In practice, you reinforce by adding a reward for the desired action, or you reinforce by removing an aversive condition once the dog performs the task.

The key idea is how the consequence changes the likelihood of the behavior by either adding something desirable or removing something unpleasant. Positive reinforcement adds a reward after the desired behavior to increase its future occurrence. Negative reinforcement increases the behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when the behavior occurs, which makes the behavior more likely to happen again. The other statements drift from this distinction: thinking both cases involve adding rewards ignores the removal of an unpleasant stimulus; saying positive reinforcement removes something unpleasant confuses the direction of the effect; and saying negative reinforcement punishes the behavior describes punishment, which aims to decrease behavior rather than increase it. In practice, you reinforce by adding a reward for the desired action, or you reinforce by removing an aversive condition once the dog performs the task.