Token economies Flashcards
What is a token economy?
A form of therapy where desirable behaviours are encouraged by the use of selective reinforcements.
What type of reinforcer are the tokens?
Secondary
What type of reinforcer are the rewards?
Primary
What can the tokens be exhanged for?
Rewards
How is the neutral token given ‘value’?
It’s repeatedly presented alongside the reinforcing stimulus
When does the individual recieve a token?
When they engage in a desirable behaviour
Why must ther be frequent exchange periods in the early stages of a token economy?
So that the patients can be quickly reinforced, and desirable bahviour increase in frequency
What are the 4 AO3 points for token economies?
1) Research support
2) Less useful for patients living in the community
3) Ethical concerns
4) Difficulties assessing the success of a token economy
In the meta-analysis that supports token economies, how many studies were included?
13
In the meta-analysis that supports token economies, how many of the studies reported beneficial effects?
11
Why are token economies ineffective in the community?
Because desirable behaviours cannot be immediately rewarded
Why are token economies unethical?
Psychiatrists exercise control over important primary reinforcers - e.g. food + privacy
Why can token economies be humiliating?
Their basic human rights are restricted + may not be psychologically able to consent to this
What is the major problem in assessing the success of a token economies?
Studies often tend to be uncontrolled
Why are there often no control groups in token economy studies?
As when token economies are introduced, all of the patients tend to be brought on to the programme
