Which term describes the removal of a reinforcing stimulus following a response to reduce its occurrence?

Which term describes the removal of a reinforcing stimulus following a response to reduce its occurrence?

• A. Positive Punishment
• B. Conditioned Reinforcer
• C. Negative Punishment
• D. Intermittent Reinforcement Schedule

Answer: (C)

Removing a reinforcing stimulus after a behavior reduces the chance that behavior will occur again. That’s negative punishment: a desirable thing is taken away following the response, which weakens the behavior over time. For example, taking away access to a favorite toy or screen time after misbehavior. This contrasts with positive punishment, which adds something aversive after the behavior to decrease it, while a conditioned reinforcer is something that has become rewarding through pairing, and an intermittent reinforcement schedule refers to how often reinforcement is given rather than removing reinforcers to suppress behavior.

Removing a reinforcing stimulus after a behavior reduces the chance that behavior will occur again. That’s negative punishment: a desirable thing is taken away following the response, which weakens the behavior over time. For example, taking away access to a favorite toy or screen time after misbehavior. This contrasts with positive punishment, which adds something aversive after the behavior to decrease it, while a conditioned reinforcer is something that has become rewarding through pairing, and an intermittent reinforcement schedule refers to how often reinforcement is given rather than removing reinforcers to suppress behavior.