Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

A) Reed did not return a book to the library on time and was fined $1, so now he will not be late in the future.

B) Michelle stayed out past her curfew and was not permitted to attend the football game, which makes her avoid coming home late again.

C) Josie is allergic to flowers and takes an antihistamine pill that stops his runny nose, so he will take the pill in the future when he has allergies.

D) Mark is a waiter who is friendly with customers, so he gets a lot of money in tips, which makes him act even friendlier.

The example of negative reinforcement is:

C) Josie is allergic to flowers and takes an antihistamine pill that stops his runny nose, so he will take the pill in the future when he has allergies.

Explanation:

In behavioral psychology, there are four types of reinforcement to increase or decrease the likelihood of a behavior. Negative reinforcement has the purpose of increasing the behavior's probability by removing something that was aversive. That is what happens to Josie when he takes the antihistamine pill. The likelihood of his taking the pill again increases because of the negative reinforcement - the disappearance of the symptoms. His allergy is something that bothers him. Eliminating, removing, its symptoms serves as motivation for Josie to take the pill again. It is a clear example of negative reinforcement.