Glossary P

Principle of conventionality refers to a pragmatic principle that, by hypothesis, leads children to assume that words are used by all speakers to express the same meaning, that is, that word meaning is a convention.

Principle of deprivation is a Principle that states that the more deprived the person is, the more effective the reinforcer will be. The question "Has the reinforcer rarely been delivered?" should be asked to decide whether the principle has been followed

Principle of falsifiability refers to Popper's contention that for a theory to be considered scientific it must specify the observations that, if made, would refute the theory. A theory must make risky predictions, to be considered scientific.

Principle of immediacy a Priciple that states that the more immediate the delivery of the reinforcer, the more effective the reinforcer. The question "Was the reinforcer delivered within one minute of the behavior or while the behavior was still occurring)?" should be asked to decide whether this principle has been followed

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Principle of inclusiveness refers to the tendency to perceive only the larger figure when a smaller figure is embedded in a larger figure.

Principle of proximity refers to the tendency to perceptually group together stimuli that are physically close.

Principle of public events means seeking the causes of behavior in environmental events. The problem with using private events to explain behavior is that you still must explain the private events.

Principle of similarity refers to the tendency to perceive as units stimuli that are physically similar to one another.