Question

David is refusing to do his homework because he wants to go out to play. His mother tells him he is not allowed to play until the homework is finished. His mother is using:

A. biological preparedness

B. the Premack principle

C. positive punishment

D.the principle of shaping

Answer 1

B.premack principle

The Premack Principle states that preferred behaviors, or behaviors with a higher level of intrinsic reinforcement, can be used as rewards, or reinforcements, for less preferred behaviors.

Let's go back to the example of Miguel. If Miguel's teacher notices that his favorite thing to do is to play on the slide, she can use this information to her advantage. If the teacher sees that Miguel really doesn't like to do his math homework, she can try to reinforce him for doing the homework by giving him a reward of five extra minutes on the slide. This reward would probably give Miguel the extra motivation he needs. If Miguel's teacher had offered a reward that was less interesting to him, such as playing on the swings, that reward would not be very interesting to Miguel. So, he might not do the math homework.