What is an example of negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement involves removing an adverse stimulus to increase a desired behavior. In this context, taking pain medication to relieve a headache serves as a clear example of negative reinforcement because the action of taking the medication alleviates the unpleasant sensation of pain. By removing the headache, the behavior of taking the medication is more likely to be repeated in the future when confronted with a similar pain.

This behavior exemplifies negative reinforcement because it highlights how removing a negative condition—in this case, the headache—encourages the behavior (taking the medication) to occur more frequently. Other choices presented do not fit the definition of negative reinforcement as they either involve providing a reward or enforcing consequences rather than removing something unpleasant to promote the desired behavior.