Final answer:
In operant conditioning, if the reinforcement is negative reinforcement, behavior is repeated due to the removal of an aversive stimulus. Negative reinforcement differs from punishment in that it aims to increase the likelihood of a behavior, whereas punishment intends to decrease a behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Operant Conditioning and Negative Reinforcement:
In operant conditioning, a reinforcer increases the probability that a response just performed will be repeated. If the reinforcement is negative reinforcement, the behavior would be repeated due to an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus being removed. Operant conditioning involves a behavior being followed by a consequence that influences the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. This consequence can be a positive reinforcer or a negative reinforcer. Unlike positive reinforcement where a desirable stimulus is added (such as receiving a reward) negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a particular response.
For example, a car's seatbelt reminder that stops beeping once you buckle up is using negative reinforcement to increase seatbelt use. Both positive and negative reinforcement aims to increase behavior, in contrast to punishment which serves to decrease behavior. Punishment on the other hand, can also be either positive or negative. Positive punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior, while negative punishment involves taking away a pleasant stimulus to also decrease behavior.