In this article, the author discusses the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement and some additional considerations. He states that the concept of negative reinforcement has caused confusion, and he believes that the difficulty stems from conventions of ordinary speech, in which the term "negative" usually denotes the opposite of something positive. Having accepted a definition of "positive" reinforcement, and, in the process, equating it at least roughly with the everyday term "reward", many then find it sensible to equate "negative" reinforcement with punishment. He states that a substitute for the term "negative reinforcement"--one that would remove the confusion of negative reinforcement with punishment while retaining the notion that escape and avoidance are kinds of reinforcement--would be welcome.