Abstract
Premack’s principle, which applies only to response pairs, was tested on response chains composed of three differentially probable responses, arranged in two different sequences. The principle applied to one chain, but not to the other. A revision of Premack’s principle is proposed which permits an account of the reinforcement relations that may be obtained between the responses which compose a response chain, as well as an account of the reinforcement relation between response pairs.
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Premack, D. Reinforcement theory. In D. Levine (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on motivation. Lincoln: University Nebraska Press, 1965.
Schaeffer, R. W. A new device for programming contingencies between drinking, running, and lever-pressing. J. exp. Anal. Behav., 1966, 9, 529–533.
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1. Supported by Public Health Service Research Grants MH08775 and MH12025 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Schaeffer, R.W. Positive reinforcement: An extension of the Premack principle to response chains. Psychon Sci 8, 31–32 (1967). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330652
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330652