Premack Principle

The opportunity to engage in a behavior can have reinforcing value. The Premack principle is a reinforcement strategy which articulates that a behavior that occurs at a higher rate than another can serve to reinforce the other.

• Example: If a child eats his/her vegetable then he/she will get dessert – eating of the desert is more likely to occur and therefore it is used as a reinforcer for eating of vegetables

The “Response-deprivation hypothesis” is a model that predicts one behaviour will function as reinforcement for another behaviour. Individuals work to overcome restrictions placed on higher-rate behavior. An individual restricted to engage in a preferred behaviour can bring about a state of deprivation. The restricted behaviour can serve as a potential reinforce.