What term describes something subtracted, removed, or taken away from the environment?

What term describes something subtracted, removed, or taken away from the environment?

• A. Positive
• B. Reinforcement
• C. Negative
• D. Stimulus

Answer: (C)

Subtraction or removal from the environment is described by the term negative. It signals that something is taken away rather than added. Positive means something is added, not removed. In psychology, removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior is known as negative reinforcement, illustrating how removal relates to the idea of a negative change. A stimulus is anything that can elicit a response, and reinforcement refers to processes that strengthen a behavior; neither term by itself conveys the act of subtraction.

Subtraction or removal from the environment is described by the term negative. It signals that something is taken away rather than added. Positive means something is added, not removed. In psychology, removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior is known as negative reinforcement, illustrating how removal relates to the idea of a negative change. A stimulus is anything that can elicit a response, and reinforcement refers to processes that strengthen a behavior; neither term by itself conveys the act of subtraction.