Final answer:
Engaging in drug use to reduce tension or anxiety is an example of negative reinforcement, as it increases the behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a person engages in taking drugs and this behavior is reinforced by the subsequent decrease in tension or anxiety, it is an example of negative reinforcement. This type of operant conditioning involves the removal of an undesirable stimulus (in this case, tension or anxiety) to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. It is distinct from punishment, which aims to decrease a behavior. A common mistake is to confuse negative reinforcement with punishment, but negative reinforcement always aims to increase the frequency of the associated behavior by taking away something unpleasant.
By contrast, punishment, be it positive or negative, always seeks to decrease the occurrence of a behavior. In positive punishment, an undesirable stimulus is added, like scolding. In negative punishment, a pleasant stimulus is removed, such as taking away a toy. This contrasts with negative reinforcement where the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, like the seatbelt alarm stopping once you buckle up, strengthens the desired behavior. Additionally, extinction occurs when a reinforced behavior decreases because reinforcement has stopped.