California Psychiatric Technician (PT) Board Psychiatric Nursing Practice Exam

The plan uses the Premack principle, which says that a more desired activity can reinforce doing a less-desired one. For someone who is scared to drive in traffic, you let the chance to engage in a preferred activity come after they attempt driving in traffic. For example, after they complete a driving-in-traffic task, they earn access to a valued activity (like listening to favorite music, a brief break, or a preferred snack). This positive reinforcement makes the feared behavior more likely over time by pairing the challenging task with a rewarding outcome. This differs from aversive therapy (punishment or unpleasant stimuli), flooding (intense, prolonged exposure), or over-correction (punitive, excessive corrective actions).