In operant conditioning, which quadrant increases a behavior by adding a favorable outcome after the behavior?

• A. Negative punishment
• B. Positive reinforcement
• C. Negative reinforcement
• D. Positive punishment

Answer: (B)

In operant conditioning, adding a favorable outcome after a behavior to increase that behavior is called positive reinforcement. The rewarding consequence—like a treat, praise, or another pleasant stimulus—strengthens the connection between the behavior and the outcome, making it more likely the behavior will occur again. For example, giving a dog a treat when it sits teaches the dog that sitting leads to a reward.

The other patterns work differently: positive punishment would add something unpleasant after the behavior to reduce it; negative reinforcement would remove an unpleasant condition after the behavior to increase it (not by adding a reward); and negative punishment would take away a desirable thing after the behavior to decrease it.