token economy

• hobbs and holt procedure

  • Observed a token economy in alabama industrial boys school, a trainings chool for delinquent adolescents , to reduce inappropriate behaviour before and after dinner
  • Staff given 12 hrs total training, To identify target behaviours and methods of observing
  • boys in 4 cottages, one cottage was control group
  • Baseline data before tokens was collected for all groups
  • They were told target criteria nad how many tokens they could earn and were taken to a store once a week
• • basis of operant conditioning
  • in a token economy system tokens (secondary reinforcer) are given when a prisoner performs a desirable behaviour and these can be explained for desirable goods (primary reinforcer)
  • increasing the likelihood a behvaiour will be repeated
  • for it to work there needs to be key target behaviours and a hierarchy where different behaviours are worth amounts , rewards also clearly defining
• how can punishment be used

  • a further strategy is to remove tokens because of undesirable behaviour
• what is shaping?

  • longer term objectives/more complex behaviours
  • tokens are given for small components of behaviour which progressively gets more complex
  • eg. make bed to being polite to all prison staff
• hobbs and holt findings

  • Baseline mean percentages for social behaviour before was 66 47 and 73
  • These increased to 91 81 84
  • No increase from control group