Theory of mind, empathy, mindblindness premack, woodruff. Premack proposed a theory of reward or reinforcement still used after forty years premack principle, and introduced the concept of theory of mind, a keystone of human social intelligence. The premack principle is a theory of reinforcement that states that a less desired behavior can be reinforced by the opportunity to engage in a more desired behavior. Premacks first publication 1959 was a new theory of reinforcement. A rat presses a lever because previous leverpresses were followed by access to food. He clearly and wittily untangles the complex skein of arguments, put forth since darwins time, over whether we are unique because we can talk. His book the mind of an ape, which he wrote with ann premack, summarized his work on animal intelligence and was given an award by the american psychological association.
Premacks ofteningenious experiments provided fascinating insights into the minds of our closest primate relations. Frequency of lightcontingent bar pressing as a function of the amount of deprivation for light. The boy that she likes has a locker in that hallway, and he. Traditional notions of reinforcement, such as the law of effect, describe reinforcers as anything which, presented concurrently or shortly after a response, makes that response more likely. Kathys heart rate increases every time she goes down a certain hallway at school. Martin takes the long way home after school because he likes to stop at the bookstore and browse through the comic books. Premacks first publication 1959 was a new theory of reinforcement which became known as premacks principle.