General Education Development (GED) Practice Exam

What type of reinforcement is employed when employees are rewarded for positive behavior?

1. Negative reinforcement

2. Positive reinforcement

3. Punishment

4. Extinction

The correct answer is: Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is utilized when employees receive rewards for displaying positive behaviors. This approach involves providing a reward or positive stimulus following a desired behavior, which increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated in the future. For instance, if an employee completes a project ahead of schedule and receives praise or a monetary bonus as a result, this reward serves to reinforce the productive behavior, encouraging the employee to maintain or enhance their level of performance. In contrast, the other options involve different concepts: negative reinforcement removes an unpleasant stimulus to strengthen a behavior, punishment introduces an unpleasant consequence to reduce an undesired behavior, and extinction refers to the removal of reinforcement, leading to a decrease or elimination of a behavior. These alternatives do not involve directly rewarding positive actions, which differentiates them from positive reinforcement.