Which type of reinforcement uses an unpleasant occurrence to encourage desired behavior?

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus when a desired behavior occurs, thus encouraging that behavior to be repeated in the future. It is important to distinguish this from punishment, which introduces an unpleasant occurrence as a consequence of undesired behavior, aiming to decrease that behavior. In contrast, negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by alleviating something aversive. For example, if a dog learns that sitting on command leads to the removal of a leash pressure, it is more likely to sit again in the future. This concept is crucial in understanding behavioral conditioning, as it highlights how certain strategies can be used effectively to shape behavior positively, even when they involve unpleasant elements initially.