What type of reinforcement involves adding a stimulus to encourage a behavior?

The concept of reinforcement in behavioral psychology refers to any stimulus that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. In this context, positive reinforcement is defined as the addition of a pleasant stimulus following a desired behavior, which encourages that behavior to occur more frequently.

For example, if a child receives praise (an added stimulus) for completing their homework, this positive reinforcement strengthens the likelihood that the child will continue to complete homework in the future because they want to receive that praise again. The key aspect of positive reinforcement is that it involves the introduction of a favorable condition (like rewards or praise) in response to a specific behavior, which effectively promotes the continuation of that behavior.

In contrast, negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, while punishment seeks to reduce a behavior by introducing an adverse consequence or removing a positive one. A conditioned stimulus is associated with a stimulus that elicits a response, but it does not directly imply reinforcement. Thus, focusing on how an additional stimulus can encourage a behavior highlights the significance of positive reinforcement in shaping behavior.