token economy ao3

Question 1

limited evidence

Answer 1

• psychiatric hospital favoured the token economy
• improvement in negative symptoms at 3 months
  -partially supports = managing schizophrenia and its ability to reduce symptoms
• limited evidence = treating symptoms in the long term

Question 2

effectiveness

Answer 2

• effects may not be maintained beyond the care setting
• desirable behaviour becomes dependent on being reinforced
• rewards stop when individuals with schizophrenia are no longer under the care
• lead to relapse of symptoms = he sufferer may lose motivation which could lead to avolition reoccurring and may lead to high re-admittance rates.

Question 3

ethical concerns

Answer 3

• psychiatric institutions
• token economies = rewarding patients with everyday pleasures e.g. watching television
• unethical as they are denying people with schizophrenia these pleasurable activities until they behave in a way the institution finds desirable
• these activities are freely available outside of the institution.