Which of the following best describes the principle of reinforcement in operant conditioning?

The principle of reinforcement in operant conditioning is fundamentally about increasing the likelihood that a behavior will occur again in the future. Reinforcement can be positive or negative, but in both cases, the goal is to strengthen behavior. Positive reinforcement involves presenting a rewarding stimulus after the desired behavior is exhibited, thus making it more likely that the behavior will be repeated. Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus when the desired behavior occurs, again increasing the chances of the behavior being repeated.

In this context, the focus is on encouraging specific behaviors through rewards (or the removal of negative conditions), as opposed to decreasing undesired behaviors or relating emotional states to behaviors, which are the focuses of other concepts in psychology. Additionally, reinforcement does not directly address cognitive development processes like schema formation, which is more associated with cognitive psychology rather than behaviorism.