Question
An unpleasant reminder tone stops when a learner begins their scheduled practice. Over the next week, the learner begins practice more often when the tone sounds. Which process best describes this change?
- a.Positive reinforcement
- b.Negative reinforcement
- c.Positive punishment
- d.Negative punishment
Correct answer
B. Negative reinforcement
Full reasoning
- 1Name the target behaviour precisely: beginning practice when the tone sounds.
- 2Identify the consequence: the tone is removed. “Negative” refers to removal, not to whether the situation feels bad.
- 3Identify the observed direction of change: beginning practice becomes more frequent. That makes this reinforcement.
- 4Combine the two dimensions: removal plus increased behaviour is negative reinforcement. The intended purpose of the tone alone would not be enough; the observed behaviour matters.
Why each choice is right or wrong
Choice A
No pleasant stimulus is described as being added after the behaviour.
Choice B
Correct. An unpleasant tone is removed, and beginning practice becomes more frequent.
Choice C
The consequence is removal rather than addition, and the behaviour increases rather than decreases.
Choice D
Removing something counts as negative punishment only when it reduces the target behaviour.
Related formula
Related topic and practice
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Sources
Original authored exercise; no database question ID and no protected or official exam-bank content. Specialist review pending.
- Psychology 2e, Section 6.3: Operant Conditioning — OpenStax. Accessed 2026-08-03. OpenStax textbook content is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; attribute and avoid verbatim reuse beyond short cited references.
Sources and corrections
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