Which of the following best describes negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement is best described as the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior being repeated. This concept is rooted in behavioral psychology and refers to a scenario where an aversive condition is eliminated, which strengthens the behavior that led to this outcome. For example, if a student completes their homework to avoid being scolded by a teacher, the removal of the scolding acts as negative reinforcement for the homework completion.

The other options do not accurately reflect the definition of negative reinforcement. The addition of a pleasant stimulus, for instance, refers to positive reinforcement, which aims to increase behaviors by providing a reward. Imposing consequences for bad behavior is related to punishment, which decreases undesired behaviors rather than reinforcing desired ones. Finally, encouraging a desired behavior through reward can also be classified under positive reinforcement, which again focuses on adding a favorable stimulus rather than removing an unfavorable one. Thus, the definition of negative reinforcement aligns perfectly with the description of the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to reinforce a behavior.