When all behaviors can occur freely,a child spends 30 minutes playing with blocks,15 minutes playing with crayons,and 5 minutes playing with a truck.Suppose the child is required to play with the blocks and the crayons for equal amounts of time.Premack's principle predicts that
A)the time spent playing with blocks will be more than 30 minutes
B)the time spent playing with crayons will be more than 15 minutes
C)the time spent playing with crayons will be less than 15 minutes
D)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Premack's principle, a high-probability behavior (preferred behavior) can be used to reinforce a low-probability behavior (less preferred behavior). In this case, playing with blocks is the high-probability behavior, while playing with crayons is the low-probability behavior. Since the child spent 30 minutes playing with blocks and only 15 minutes playing with crayons, the requirement is to make them equal. Therefore, the child will have to engage in playing with crayons for a longer duration, which is more than 15 minutes (the original time spent playing with crayons). Hence, the correct choice is B.

When All Behaviors Can Occur Freely,a Child Spends 30 Minutes