Token Economies

Question 1

What are token economies?

Answer 1

Behavioral therapy based on operant conditioning that used incremental rewards to shape behavior.

Question 2

What symptoms of schizophrenia does it aim to treat?

Answer 2

Negative such as avolition

Question 3

How does token economies work?

Answer 3

• Target behaviour is set that will improve patients engagement in daily activities
• Tokens are paired with the rewarded wanted
• Tokens are given as a reward for engaging in target behaviour
• These tokens are exchanged for rewards and privileges

(The tokens have no intrinsic value)

Question 4

What are the strengths of token economies?

Answer 4

Research support

• Variety of items can be exchanged as it is more motivating the more personalized the items are. This reduces satiation
• Tokens are given as an immediate reward to allow temporal contiguity so they understand what they are being rewarded for.

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of token economies?

Answer 5

Research shows it is less effective when they live in a community
- Doctors have less control over patients lives and rewards therefore there is only a limited usefulness

Little credible evidence in treating schizophrenia
- It doesn’t change the cause of the symptom only produces a surface level effect

It is also unethical
- Those with more symptoms may be unable to access rewards which is unfair. Those with very severe illness will get fewer rewards so this unfair as the disorder is out of their control