Token economy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ideologies and Theories
Part of a series on Economic systems
Capitalist economy Corporate economy Natural economy Socialist economy
Sectors and Systems
Closed economy Dual economy Gift economy Informal economy Market economy Mixed economy Open economy Participatory economy Planned economy Subsistence economy Underground economy Virtual economy
Related articles
Anglo-Saxon economy American School Global economy Hunter-gatherer economy Information economy New industrial economy Palace economy Plantation economy Social market economy Token economy Traditional economy Transition economy
Business and Economics Portal
This box: v • d • e

A token economy is a system of behavior modification based on the principles of operant conditioning. Specifically, the original proposal for such a system emphasized reinforcing positive behavior by awarding "tokens" for meeting positive behavioral goals. The system, first implemented in a year-long study conducted by Teodoro Ayllon in Florida, was primarily geared towards changing adolescent behavior. The initial study included only adolescent males.

The tokens themselves were not reinforcers; tokens were accumulated and "spent" in order to obtain a reinforcer. "Patients earn tokens, which they can exchange for privileges, such as time watching television or walks on the hospital grounds, by completing assigned duties (such as making their beds) or even just by engaging in appropriate conversations with others" (Nolen-Hoeksema's Abnormal Psychology, p.409). Early during the program, a participant would be required to spend all of his or her tokens daily to emphasize the reinforcement activity early, and as time passed and success was made, participants would be allowed (or required) to accumulate their tokens over the course of longer time periods. This, as a variable-rate scheduling system, helped prevent extinction of the behavior after the program's termination.