Name of Concept
Premack Principle in Social Learning Theory
Introduction
Developed by David Premack in 1965, the Premack principle states that one can encourage a low-frequency behavior by linking that low-frequency behavior to a higher-frequency behavior.
Description
A classic example of the Premack principle is, “If you eat all of your vegetables, then you may have dessert.” By pairing the lower-frequency behavior (eating vegetables) with a higher-frequency or more desirable behavior (eating dessert), we can increase the likelihood that the low-frequency behavior will occur. Premack suggested that for “any pair of responses, the more probable one will reinforce the less probable one,” (Premack 1965, p. 132). In other words, by pairing a less preferred behavior with a more preferred behavior, you can increase the probability with which the lower-frequency or less desirable behavior occurs. Using an example from the health psychology literature, people may decide to link a health...
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References
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Holstein, S. B., & Hundt, A. G. (1965). Reinforcement of intracranial self-stimulation by licking. Psychonomic Science, 3(1–12), 17–18.
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Weisman, R. G., & Premack, D. (1966). Reinforcement and punishment produced by the same response depending upon the probability relation between the instrumental and contingent responses. In Psychonomic Society Meeting, St. Louis (No. 0, p. 0).
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Manvelian, A. (2019). Premack Principle in Social Learning Theory. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_50-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_50-1
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