Token economies

• Token economies are reward systems (operant conditioning) used to manage the behaviour of patients with schizophrenia who spend long periods in psychiatric hospitals
• Tokens (e.g. coloured discs) are given to patients who carry out desirable behaviours (e.g. getting dressed, making a bed, etc.)
• The reward of a token reinforces the desirable behaviour and because it is given immediately preserves 'delay discounting' (reduced effect of a delayed reward)
• Tokens have no value in themselves but can be swapped later for tangible rewards (e.g. sweets, a walk outside, etc)- they are secondary reinforcers because they only have value due to the learned association (classical conditioning) with innate primary reinforcers