SZ Management - Token Economies AO1

• what does a token economy aim to do and what are its principles?

  • involves a system of rewards being set up for desired behaviour, sometimes with punishments to discourage behaviour which is undesirable
  • rewards are usually tokens or points, and these can be periodically exchanged for something that the individual wants
  • this is an important part of the programme as the rewards must genuinely reward the person
• what is the definition of token economies?

  • a technique which reinforces appropriate behaviour e.g. co-operation and compliance by giving or withholding tokens which can be exchanged for privileges
  • used so patients in long stay hospitals are easier to manage, and overcome any problematic behaviour
• what is Ayllon and Azrin 1968 study?

  • used token economies in women's ward in a mental institution in the US
  • they were rewarded with tokens for self-care
  • they could be exchanged for privileges like watching films, cigarettes etc
  • 'desirable' behaviours increased significantly
  • however, these decreased significantly once system was withdrawn
• what did Matson et al 2016 identify?

  • 3 categories of problematic behaviours that develop in a hospital and can be addressed through the use of TE including:
  • personal hygiene issues (showering, changing clothes, brushing teeth etc.)
  • illness-related behaviours (problems with positive/negative symptoms)
  • social behaviours (problems in dealing with other people)
• what are tokens?

  • tokens have no intrinsic value and called secondary reinforcers
  • are generalised reinforcers as are paired with primary reinforcers (what tokens are exchanged for) which are things that are wanted by the person
• what principle is TE based on?

  • behavioural modification
  • based in Skinners operant conditioning
• what is delay discounting?

  • longer between the receiving the token and getting the reward, the less the patient will cognitively link the, the system becomes less effective
• for TE to work, is important there are clear definitions of what?

  • what a desirable behaviour is
  • what a token is
  • how a token is allocated
  • what a reward is
• is TES used now?

  • reduced in popularity in recent decades as now schizophrenics are cared for more often at home by families rather than in institutionalised care
  • at home with increased/better access to education and help for patients