Reinforcement hierarchy

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement hierarchy is a list of actions, starting with the most desirable and ending with the least desirable. A reinforcement hierarchy can be used to determine the relative frequency and desirability of different actions, and is employed when applying the Premack principle.

For example, for a person who enjoys watching television but does not enjoy mowing lawn, the former activity would appear close to the top of the hierarchy whereas the latter would be closer to the bottom.