Increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

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

Answer: (A)

Reinforcement is the process that increases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated. When a behavior is followed by a consequence that the person finds rewarding, that behavior tends to occur again. This can be positive reinforcement—adding a desirable stimulus like praise or a treat—or negative reinforcement—removing an annoying or aversive stimulus after the behavior, such as stopping a loud noise. The key idea is that the consequence makes the behavior more likely to happen in the future. By contrast, extinction reduces behavior by withholding reinforcement, punishment makes a behavior less likely by adding an aversive consequence or removing something desirable, and shaping is a stepwise training method that reinforces gradual improvements toward a new target behavior.

Reinforcement is the process that increases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated. When a behavior is followed by a consequence that the person finds rewarding, that behavior tends to occur again. This can be positive reinforcement—adding a desirable stimulus like praise or a treat—or negative reinforcement—removing an annoying or aversive stimulus after the behavior, such as stopping a loud noise. The key idea is that the consequence makes the behavior more likely to happen in the future. By contrast, extinction reduces behavior by withholding reinforcement, punishment makes a behavior less likely by adding an aversive consequence or removing something desirable, and shaping is a stepwise training method that reinforces gradual improvements toward a new target behavior.