In behavioral therapy, which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

GMCH Nursing Officer-2025

Psychology

Medium

Appeared in: GMCH Nursing Officer-2025

Explanation

Negative reinforcement involves strengthening a behavior by removing an unpleasant or aversive stimulus.
In this scenario, the behavior is 'following an exercise regime'.
The aversive stimulus that is removed is the patient's 'pain'.
The removal of pain (a negative condition) increases the likelihood that the patient will continue the exercise, thus reinforcing the behavior.

Option A: This describes positive reinforcement, not negative. A desirable stimulus (praise) is added to encourage a behavior (taking medication).
Option B: This is an example of extinction. The nurse is removing the reinforcement (attention) to decrease the patient's shouting behavior.
Option D: This describes positive punishment. An aversive stimulus (a reprimand) is added to decrease an undesirable behavior (refusing physiotherapy).

Visual 1: Flowchart: A diagram illustrating the four quadrants of operant conditioning (Positive/Negative Reinforcement, Positive/Negative Punishment) with simple examples for each. This helps visually separate the concepts of adding/removing a stimulus and increasing/decreasing a behavior.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Principles of Operant Conditioning in Behavioral Therapy helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses frequently use principles of behavioral therapy to encourage patient compliance and manage challenging behaviors. Understanding the difference between reinforcement and punishment is crucial for effective and ethical patient care.
For example, a nurse might use positive reinforcement by praising a pediatric patient for cooperating with a procedure. They might use negative reinforcement by helping a patient find a comfortable position (removing discomfort) to encourage them to stay in bed.
What if the patient's pain increased after exercise? This would be positive punishment, as an aversive stimulus (increased pain) is added after the behavior (exercise), making the patient less likely to exercise again.

How to Approach the Question

First, define the key term in the question: 'Negative Reinforcement'. Recall that 'negative' means removing a stimulus, and 'reinforcement' means increasing a behavior.
So, you are looking for a scenario where an unpleasant stimulus is removed to make a behavior more likely to happen again.
Analyze Option A: Praise is added, so this is positive reinforcement.
Analyze Option B: Attention is removed to decrease a behavior, which is extinction, not reinforcement.
Analyze Option C: Pain (unpleasant stimulus) is removed after exercise, which will likely increase the exercise behavior. This matches the definition of negative reinforcement.
Analyze Option D: A reprimand (unpleasant stimulus) is added to decrease a behavior, which is positive punishment.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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