Which of the following best aligns with the concept of negative reinforcement?

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus in order to increase a desired behavior. In this context, option B accurately captures the essence of negative reinforcement by stating that removing an unpleasant consequence encourages behavior. For example, a student might be more likely to complete their assignments if they know that failure to do so will result in extra time spent on schoolwork taken away as a ‘reward’ for completing the assignments on time.

This approach does not involve punishments or rewards for positive actions, as seen in the other options, which focus on different behavioral management strategies. For instance, providing rewards, applying penalties, or ignoring undesirable actions are separate concepts that do not directly modify behavior through the removal of negative stimuli. Thus, the concept expressed in option B is a clear demonstration of negative reinforcement in action.