Which psychological concept involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase desired behaviour?

The correct answer is the concept of negative reinforcement, which involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior. In essence, negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing relief from discomfort or aversive conditions. For example, when a student studies hard to avoid the anxiety of failing an exam, the act of studying can be seen as negatively reinforced because it removes the unpleasant feeling associated with potential failure.

In this context, distinguishing between negative reinforcement and other concepts is important. Punishment, for example, introduces an unpleasant stimulus or consequence to decrease a behavior, which is fundamentally different from removing an unpleasant stimulus to promote a desired action. Positive reinforcement adds a pleasant stimulus to encourage behavior, while extinction refers to the process of diminishing a behavior by stopping reinforcement altogether, which does not involve the removal of an aversive stimulus. Understanding these distinctions is crucial in applied psychology and behavior modification techniques.