What is negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology that involves increasing the likelihood of a behavior by removing an aversive stimulus when that behavior occurs. When a certain behavior leads to the elimination of something unpleasant or uncomfortable, it can encourage that behavior to be repeated in the future. For instance, if a child does their homework to stop a nagging from a parent, the removal of the nagging reinforces the behavior of completing homework.

This concept contrasts sharply with other forms of reinforcement and punishment. Adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior is more aligned with positive punishment, which does not fit the definition of negative reinforcement. Similarly, providing rewards to prevent a behavior falls under different motivational strategies like positive reinforcement or behavioral prevention tactics, and punishing a behavior does not align with the goal of strengthening behavior through the removal of negativity.