What do positive and negative reinforcement have in common?

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Positive and negative reinforcement are both focused on increasing the likelihood that a behavior will occur again in the future. Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a pleasant stimulus after a desired behavior, which encourages the behavior to happen again. For instance, giving a child a treat for completing their homework reinforces the behavior of doing homework. On the other hand, negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus when a desired behavior occurs, thereby increasing the probability of that behavior being repeated. An example of this would be turning off a loud alarm when a person gets out of bed; the removal of the annoying sound encourages the person to get up more frequently in the future.

This commonality is what differentiates reinforcement from forms of punishment, which are intended to reduce or weaken a behavior. By understanding that both types of reinforcement serve to increase behavior, individuals can better apply these concepts in practice, such as in behavioral therapy or educational settings.

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