psychological treatment- token economies Flashcards
what are token economies?
a form of behavioural modification where desirable behaviours are encouraged by the use of selective reinforcement. For example, people are given rewards (tokens) when they engage in socially desirable behaviours. the tokens are secondary reinforcers and can be exchanged for primary reinforcers- food or privileges
who initially carried out the token economies?
Ayllon and Azrin
what principles are token economies based on?
•behaviourism, classical and operant conditioning
•positive reinforcement
when are token economies usually used?
usually used for patients who have spent a long time in psychiatric hospitals (institutionalisation)
what can institutionalisation cause?
patients to develop bad habits like stopping maintaining personal hygiene or socialising with others
what are the three categories of institutional behaviour commonly tackled by means of token economies?
•personal care
•condition-related behaviours
•social behaviour
what are the two main benefits of token economies?
•improves the persons quality of life within the hospital setting
•‘normalises’ behaviour and this makes it easier for people who have spent a time in hospital to adapt back into life in the community
tokens are secondary…
reinforcers
they one have value once the person receiving them has learned they can be used to obtain valuable rewards
the rewards are the primary reinforcers
evaluation points:
+evidence of effectiveness
-is reward sufficient to change behaviour
-short term treatment
-ethical issues
strength: evidence of effectiveness
•Glowacki identified 7 studies on the effectiveness of token economies related to issues like schizophrenia for hospital patients
•all the studies showed a reduction in negative symptoms and a decline in the frequency of unwanted behaviours
•this supports the value of token economies
limitation: is reward sufficient to change behaviour
•intrinsic rewards are more effective than extrinsic ones
•should focus on process praise
•this means token economies may not have lasting effects
limitation: short term treatments
•only really appropriate in a hospital setting and it is difficult to maintain behaviours outside of a hospital setting
•behaviours go extinct
•when they stop being rewarded they may stop displaying behaviours
•questions the long term effectiveness
limitation: ethical issues
•it gives professionals considerable power to control the behaviour of the patient
•restricting rewards for seriously ill patients might increase their distress
•the benefits of token economies may be outweighed by their impact on personal freedom and short-term reduction in quality of life
