Which term describes a positive-reinforcing stimulus that maintains or increases a behavior?

Which term describes a positive-reinforcing stimulus that maintains or increases a behavior?

• A. Punishment
• B. Reinforcement
• C. Extinction
• D. Modeling

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is positive reinforcement: adding a desirable stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood that the behavior will happen again. When you give something the learner wants as a consequence of a behavior, that behavior becomes more likely to occur in the future because the outcome is experienced as rewarding. For example, a child who receives praise or a small treat after completing a task is more likely to repeat that task to earn the same positive result. This is how reinforcement strengthens behavior by creating a pleasant association with the act. It’s helpful to contrast it with the other terms. Punishment aims to reduce or suppress a behavior by introducing an aversive consequence or removing a pleasant one, not to increase it. Extinction happens when reinforcement is no longer provided for a behavior, leading to a gradual decrease in that behavior over time. Modeling is about learning by watching others’ actions and consequences, not about a direct reinforcing consequence following one’s own behavior.

The concept being tested is positive reinforcement: adding a desirable stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood that the behavior will happen again. When you give something the learner wants as a consequence of a behavior, that behavior becomes more likely to occur in the future because the outcome is experienced as rewarding. For example, a child who receives praise or a small treat after completing a task is more likely to repeat that task to earn the same positive result. This is how reinforcement strengthens behavior by creating a pleasant association with the act.

It’s helpful to contrast it with the other terms. Punishment aims to reduce or suppress a behavior by introducing an aversive consequence or removing a pleasant one, not to increase it. Extinction happens when reinforcement is no longer provided for a behavior, leading to a gradual decrease in that behavior over time. Modeling is about learning by watching others’ actions and consequences, not about a direct reinforcing consequence following one’s own behavior.