Token economy Flashcards
(9 cards)
What is the token economy?
A form of behavioural therapy based on the principles of operant conditioning where clinicians set target behaviours that they believe will improve the patients engagement in daily activities
How does the token economy work?
Tokens are awarded whenever the patient engages in a target behaviour - tokens later exchanged for various rewards and privileges (associate desirable behaviours with rewards)
What did Ayllon and Azrin find?
When token economy was used on a ward of all female patients - they found that the use of a token economy increased dramatically the number of desirable behaviours
How is value assigned to the tokens?
Needs to be repeatedly presented alongside/immediately before the reinforcing stimulus (could be food, privileges or other incentives) eventually, the once neutral stimulus (token) acquires the same reinforcing properties
How do tokens work as a generalised reinforcer?
Sran and Borrero - if tokens could be exchanged for a variety of items, the responding rates were higher
Why is the timing of the trade important?
If too much time passes between presentation of token and exchange for reinforcers -effectiveness will decrease (Kazdin)
What is a limitation of the token economy?
It can only be used for those who hd been hospitalised
Corrigan - problems with administrating token economy method with outpatients who live in the community (do not receive 24 hour care and this can make rewards less meaningful)
Unrealistic for those outside the hospital
What are the ethical concerns with token economy?
Clinicians use food, privacy or access to activities as tokens - patients exchange tokens if they display the target behaviours
However, it is generally accepted that all humans have basic rights and these cannot be violated regardless of the positive consequences that might be achieved by manipulating them within a token economy programme
Do token economies actually work?
Few randomised trials have been carried out to support claims about the effectiveness of the token economy
They lack support and many have fallen out of use in much of the developed world
