premack (verb)

[Stephen Goranson]

Not that I recommend the word (or behaviorism), "premack" is new to me and not
in OED (though David Premack is mentioned in "American").

aldaily.com led me to an article on an economist:
"Cowen ventures where few economists have gone before; like when he takes on
Neil Strauss, who theorized in his best seller The Game that attractive women
respond favorably to men who treat them with indifference. Blarney, says
Cowen...."
http://tinyurl.com/yp627h

I read a review of the Strauss book at amazon by Amy Sohn who mentioned the
"pre-macking" days of Strauss. I didn't know what she meant, and the hyphen
didn't help (was she thinking of Yiddish Macher, or did she know the
definition
but not its eponymous origin?).

Google gives 72 hits for premacking.

The APA Dictionary of Psychology (2007) gives:
Premack's principle the view that the opportunity to engage in behavior with a
relatively high baseline probably will reinforce behavior of lower baseline
probability. For example, a hungry rat may have a high probability of eating
but a lower probability of pressing a lever. Making the opportunity to eat
depend on pressing the lever will result in reinforcement of [why not write:
will reinforce?] lever pressing. Also called Premack's rule. {David Premack
(1925-       ) U.S. psychologist.}

Stephen

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org