The Premack Principle: “First this, then that!”

The Premack Principle is a psychological concept that can be particularly useful for parents looking to encourage desirable behavior in their children. In essence, the principle suggests that more probable behaviors (activities that the person likes to do) can be used to reinforce less probable behaviors (activities that the person doesn’t like to do). It is sometimes framed as “Grandma’s Rule”: “First, eat your vegetables, and then you can have dessert.”

How Does the Premack Principle Work?

The Premack Principle posits that if you want someone (like a child) to do something less appealing, you reward them with something they enjoy afterward. By following an unpreferred activity with a preferred one, the likelihood of the unpreferred activity being completed increases. This principle is based on motivation, relying on an individual’s personal preferences to encourage specific behaviors.

Examples for Parents

  1. Homework Before Playtime
    • Scenario: Your child dislikes doing homework but loves playing video games.
    • Application: Explain to your child, “You need to finish your homework first, and then you can play video games for an hour.” Completing the homework becomes a gateway for accessing their favorite activity, thus increasing the chances of it being completed without resistance.
  2. Chores Before Screen Time
    • Scenario: Your child avoids doing household chores but loves watching TV.
    • Application: You might say, “Once you’ve completed your chores, you can watch your favorite TV show.” Here, the motivation of watching TV helps encourage your child to finish their chores promptly.
  3. Healthy Eating Habits
    • Scenario: Your child prefers sweets over vegetables.
    • Application: Before dinner, you suggest, “If you eat all your greens, you can have a cookie afterward.” This encourages them to eat their vegetables to earn the treat they desire.
  4. Outdoor Play Before Snacks
    • Scenario: Your child enjoys eating snacks but is reluctant to play outside.
    • Application: Tell them, “Let’s play outside for 20 minutes, and then we can come inside for a snack.” The promise of a snack becomes a motivating reward for engaging in physical activity.

Tips for Effectively Using the Premack Principle

  • Know Your Child’s Preferences: Understanding what your child enjoys doing is key to making this principle work. Choose rewards that genuinely matter to them.
  • Be Consistent: Consistency will reinforce the connection between the task and the reward, making it easier for the child to understand the expected behavior.
  • Communicate Clearly: Ensure that your child understands the conditions. Phrase it in a way that’s easy to understand, and remind them of the reward.
  • Balance is Essential: While the principle is effective, it should be balanced with intrinsic motivation strategies to instill a sense of responsibility and independence over time.
    • Examples of intrinsic motivation strategies:
      • Making the homework or “first” activity itself more fun (ex. turn it into a game to see which sibling can complete it faster)
      • Talk with your child to identify what is the value in completing the task. Help them focus on the internal satisfaction in activities, such as how good it makes them feel instead of what they can get for doing it.
      • Set attainable goals beforehand: make sure the activity/chore being assigned is doable
      • Help the child make a list of things they genuinely love to do and allow the child to choose something on the list whenever there is free time.
      • Mix in “first/then” with giving them choices.
      • Present opportunities for your child to feel positively about themselves by assigning a developmentally appropriate skill to refine.

By applying the Premack Principle, parents can effectively encourage positive behaviors in children through the strategic use of rewards, making routine tasks less of a struggle and more of a collaborative process. Just remember to mix it up, focus on intrinsic motivation in addtion to the Premack, and use tone of voice that’s engaging and fun!

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