Final answer:
Positive Reinforcement is when a desirable stimulus is added to increase a behavior. It's an aspect of operant conditioning where 'positive' means addition and 'reinforcement' implies behavior increase. An example is praising a student for correct answers to encourage that behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Positive Reinforcement refers to the process where a behavior is increased because a desirable stimulus is added as a result of engaging in that behavior. To clarify, in the context of operant conditioning, 'positive' indicates the addition of something, and 'reinforcement' indicates that there is an increase in the frequency or likelihood of a behavior. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is that positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is increased because something desirable was gained by engaging in the behavior.
An example of this could be rewarding a student with praise after they have answered a question correctly in class. The praise is the positive reinforcement which incites the student to repeat this desirable behavior in hopes of receiving additional praise.
It's essential to distinguish positive reinforcement from negative reinforcement or punishment. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, while punishment (whether positive or negative) aims to decrease a behavior.