Token Economy Systems

Question 0

Advantages of token economy

Answer 0

They are potent reinforcers, they can bridge the delay between target response and the delivery of a backup reinforcer, they are resistant to satiation, delivery does not interrupt behavior, the same reinforcer can be delivered to individuals with different target behaviors, they enable large events to be used as backup reinforcers, response cost is easier to implement, it teaches delay of gratification

Question 1

Token systems are not likely to be effective if

Answer 1

Participant gains access to backup reinforcers by stealing them, sympathetic individual provides them or other means

Question 2

To implement a token economy, staff need to be trained

Answer 2

How to discriminate target behaviors from non-target behaviors, how to prevent unauthorized token or backup reinforcers access, how to implement response cost contingencies, when to provide purchase opportunities

Question 3

Disadvantages of token economies

Answer 3

Substantial labor to set up and maintain, staff must be trained to implement consistently, some people object to unnatural contingencies, participants might receive unauthorized reinforcement, the cost of maintaining reinforcers to purchase

Question 4

Fading can occur

Answer 4

Across several dimensions including physical, proximity ( kept with teachers instead of students) temporal relation ( end of the day instead of each hour, and form