Terry wants his young daughter, Lauren, to help him with the housework, so he tells her that she can play on his computer as soon as she finishes doing the dinner dishes and putting away the clean laundry. Terry is using a more preferred activity to reinforce a less preferred activity. According to the In Focus box: Changing the Behavior of Others: Alternatives to Punishment, this behavioral strategy is called:

Question

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Terry is using the Premack principle, which is using a more preferred activity (playing on the computer) to reinforce a less preferred activity (doing the dishes and putting away laundry). This behavioral strategy is based on the idea that behaviors that occur more frequently can be used to reinforce behaviors that occur less frequently.

Terry Wants His Young Daughter, Lauren, to Help Him with the Housework