Behaviour modification - token economy

• -        Token economy is the exchange of goods (economy) based on tokens (something neutral which has no intrinsic value).

  -        Based on the principles of operant conditioning where desirable behaviours are reinforced.

  -        Usually it is used in a closed society (in this case prison) where rewards can be easily manipulated.
• These tokens can then be exchanged for actual rewards an individual wants.
• The tokens are called secondary reinforces as they have no intrinsic value.
• The tokens can be exchanged for primary reinforcers- things the individual desires.
• Target behaviours must be clearly specified as well as the rewards that will be given.
• A hierarchy of behaviours may be made where some behaviours may get more tokens than others.
• The tokens are called secondary reinforces as they have no intrinsic value.
• These tokens can then be exchanged for actual rewards an individual wants.
• The tokens are called secondary reinforces as they have no intrinsic value.
• The tokens can be exchanged for primary reinforcers- things the individual desires.
• The tokens are only ‘reinforcing’ because they are used alongside the reinforcing stimulus (e.g time outside) and therefore become associated with that reward.
• Target behaviours must be clearly specified as well as the rewards that will be given.
• A hierarchy of behaviours may be made where some behaviours may get more tokens than others.
• Hobbs and Holt (1976)

  Hobbs and Holt observed a token economy in use at Alabama Boys industrial School, a state training school for adolescent delinquents (aged 12-15 years).

  Aim: To reduce inappropriate social behaviour before and after dinner and when lining up.
• Hobbs and Holt

  Procedure: In total 125 delinquent males were observed living in four cottages. One cottage served as a control group where the boys did not receive tokens. Baseline data, before tokens, was collected for all groups. The boys had charges ranging from truancy and being uncontrollable, to arson and homicide.
• Hobbs and Holt

  Two supervisors recorded what each boy did in the following categories:

  -        Following cottage rules (e.g. no smoking during games, not destroying property).

  -        Following instructions of cottage supervisor (e.g. lowering noise level when told).

  -        Before dinner following rules of group games, completing assigned chores (sweeping, taking out rubbish).

  -        After dinner: interacting with peers 30-50% of the time (defined as being less than 3 feet away, talking and looking at peer, and body facing peer).

  -        Line behaviour: walking in straight line.
• Hobbs and Holt

  Rewards: Boys were told the target criteria and told how many tokens they could earn in each category. Each day the boys were told how many tokens they had earned and were given a piece of paper with this information. They were taken to a token economy store once a week where they could buy drinks, sweets, toys and cigarettes. They could also save tokens and use them for more expensive off-campus activities such as baseball games or a visit home.
• Hobbs and Holt

  Findings: The baseline mean percentages for social behaviours before the boys were given tokens were 66%, 47% and 73% for each of the three cottages. These increased post-tokens to 91%, 81% and 94%, an average increase of 27%. The control group showed no increase in the same time period.
• Hobbs and Holt

  Conclusions: A token economy system was successful for changing the children’s behaviour, and reduced inappropriate social behaviour.
• -        There may be some ethical issues concerned with the use of token economy.

  o   E.g. some prisoners are not able to earn tokens because they can’t control their behaviour and are thus denied such privileges. Even those that are involved in the scheme may still have privileges first removed.

  o   As a result, it may be considered as manipulative and dehumanising for basic needs to be conditional to good behaviour.

  o   This introduces the question about whether such behaviour shaping is ethically acceptable.
• -        Behaviour modification (such as token economy) may not work outside of such a context it has been implemented in.

  o   Ronald Blackburn (1993) suggests it has little rehabilitative value and any changes made are often lost when prisoners are released.

  o   This is because once rewards cease, the stimulus response link is extinguished, and prisoners may revert back to their old ways.

  o   As a result, token economy may have short term success and have little effect on reoffending.
• -        Behaviour modification has been said to only deal with surface behaviour and may not assist in the root problem.

  o   Other treatments, such as anger management, are much more active in their approach and the individual is required to reflect on the cause of their offending and there is greater responsibility for their own rehabilitation.

  o   Token economy may be an easy scheme to play along with too (in order to access rewards).

  o   As a result, there may be better methods to use that are more active in their approach, compared to token economy.
• -        Token economy may have some advantages compared to other methods of rehabilitation.

  o   E.g. it is easy to implement and cost effective.

  o   This is because prisons staff can think about what behaviours are desirable and increase such behaviour, improving the prison environment for staff and prisoners. It can be implemented without trained psychologists.

  o   As a result, it may be a desirable method to change behaviour in the prison setting.