Token Economies.
Please read the following website and read about the steps involved in setting up a token economy using the LRBI Checklist:
http://www.olemiss.k12.in.us/intervention/Token.pdf
Please respond to the following questions? What is a token economy? Do you think they are useful? Why? What situations do you feel they would be most effective? What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why? Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
Please read the following website and read about the steps involved in setting up a token economy using the LRBI Checklist:
http://www.olemiss.k12.in.us/intervention/Token.pdf
Please respond to the following questions? What is a token economy? Do you think they are useful? Why? What situations do you feel they would be most effective? What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why? Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
Token Economy
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and people emit a behavior of exchanging the tokens later for backup reinforcers. In order for token economies to be successful they must emit a behavior of reinforcing a person for increasing or decreasing existing behaviors, and successive approximations of the behaviors one wishes to establish or increase.
2)Do you think they are useful? Why?
I emit a behavior of thinking that token economies are effective in influencing the frequency of desired and undesired behaviors. I think the implementation of token economies are especially useful in altering the behavior of young children, because they respond so eagerly to material rewards and reinforcers like toys, snacks, and free time doing desired activities. People of all ages like to be reinforced for emitting target behaviors, especially behaviors they are likely to emit without being reinforced with tokens or tokens exchanged for reinforcers.
3)What situations do you think they will be most effective?
I emit a behavior of thinking that pre-school and elementary classrooms are settings that implementing a token economy will be most effective, because young children are constantly being influenced to emit desired behaviors from parents and teachers. Young children also respond eagerly to being positively reinforced for emitting the behaviors desired by those in authority. I think the visible “token bank account” is a great idea for a classroom, because the children can emit a behavior of checking the status of their reinforced behavior in comparison to the other children. Humans are naturally a competitive species, and a visible but unobtrusive ‘scoreboard’ is an effective way to increase the frequency of desired behaviors by the students, and decrease the undesired behavior. The token economy provides the child with multiple reinforcers, as well, when they receive the ‘token,’ when they receive the praise from the authority figure, and when they exchange their token for a desired reinforcer like a toy, a snack, or free time doing a fun activity.
4)What situations do you think they will be least effective? Why?
I emit a behavior of thinking that token economies are least effective in high school classrooms, because at the ages between 14 and 18, teenagers are very concerned with appearing to be ‘cool.’ Apathy is a major hindrance to academic success among high school students. I emit a behavior of thinking that they are still more concerned with what their peers think of them, than their grades or favor from teachers. Many young adults, men especially, are still under the impression that it’s not ‘cool’ to have good grades, or follow the rules. Thus, being reinforced with stickers, points, etc. would not be very effective in increasing desired behavior, because the teacher is limited on what they can use for the back-up reinforcer the token would be exchanged for. Most teenagers have already learned, and emit a behavior of performing the basic appropriate classroom behaviors like raising one’s hand, sitting in a chair quietly, and so on. I emit a behavior of thinking these examples would contribute to the ineffectiveness of a token economy in a high school classroom setting.
5) Can you think of any token economies you are currently under?
I am currently emitting a behavior of being under a token economy of punch cards from a variety of vendors ranging from coffee shops to clothing stores. These establishments use punch cards to reinforce people for emitting a buying behavior of their products or services. For example, if I purchase 10 cups of coffee from a particular coffee shop, I will be reinforced with a free cup of coffee. I am likely to emit this behavior anyway, so I will be reinforced (as long as I remember to get the card punched each time I emit a behavior of buying a cup of coffee) for buying coffee from that coffee shop. I also have punch cards from various clothing stores that I do not shop at very often, so I am less likely to be reinforced with a discount when I have emitted a behavior of spending a specified amount at that store. Thus, the effectiveness of that reinforcer is not very strong in regards to increasing my behavior of purchasing clothing from that store. I do think that having punch cards for certain vendors increases the frequency of people emitting a behavior of spending money at those establishments, because if deciding on a place to go, if there is a chance for a future reinforcer, the person is more likely to visit that establishment over others providing the same service.
1. What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and people emit a behavior of exchanging the tokens later for backup reinforcers. When the token system is in place, students will periodically exchange their tokens for reinforcers, so the reward must motivate students to do whatever is necessary to earn it. Deciding on which token to use as a reinforcer is important as well. Items work well as tokens as long as they are easily dispensed, difficult to counterfeit,and safe to use. Different amounts of tokens can be awarded for different levels of behavior. When implementing a token economy, praise should always accompany the dispensing of tokens. For new behaviors, tokens should be delivered on a continuous basis. Token economies can be very beneficial, however, token economies take more time and effort than some other techniques.
2. Do you think they are useful? Why?
I believe token economies are very useful when trying to increase or decrease a certain behavior. They are very useful in classroom settings and they are being used in business settings as well. Depending on the type of "token" or reward being received is useful when increasing a behavior especially because an individual is being reinforced with a token. I also think they are useful in businesses that have coupons or punch cards whenever you purchase from a certain type of business. This type of reward of spending money to "get discounts" or points is a great way to earn loyal customers or to have customers interested in a business.
3. What situations do you think they will be most effective?
I believe token economies are most effective in social events and certain academic groups. I think it's most effective in these types of situations because peers are involved and can distribute token reinforcers besides teachers or "authority" giving out the reinforcers. With peers involved, it can help motivate other students and contribute to increasing or decreasing behaviors. Other situations in which the token economy can be highly effective is in elementary schools and middle schools because little kids emit behaviors based on rewards and discipline. Earning "stickers" or "stars" and even receiving "dessert" after eating one's meal are great tokens of reinforcers for children.
4. What situations do you think they will be least effective? Why?
I believe that token economies are least effective in high-schools and in colleges. High schools students start to form their own identity and it's hard for teachers to find the same reinforcers that work on all students. The reason I believe token economies don't really work on college students is that college students can decide on their own reinforcement and have the decision to choose to go to class and put in the effort. Although, I know that Otto used this token system last semester for attendance and those who would attend class would receive a sticker and also earn points for going to class, which I believe worked.
5. Can you think of any token economies you are currently under?
I am under the token economy of different food vendors such as Panera and Pita Pit. Every time I emit in a purchasing behavior of food from Pita Pit, I get points added to my Pita card and after so many points I can receive a free pita or free drink, chips, etc. At Panera, food bonuses are added on my card after purchasing an item. One time I received a free parfait and can use it whenever I want. I am also under the token economy of going to class every Friday in one of my classes because our professor gives out an extra credit point whenever we show up on Fridays. This reinforces my behavior of going to class because I'm getting extra points for showing up, which can help improve my grade.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system that reinforces an individual with a token (which can take a variety of forms including plastic chips, stickers, hole punches, coins, etc.) that the individual can exchange for a different reinforce once the individual has earned enough tokens. The individual is reinforced with a token after increasing, decreasing, or successive approximations a specified behavior.
Do you think they are useful? Why?
I think token economies are useful because they employ reinforcement with minimum disruption if done correctly. Token economies also elicit the desired behavior while minimizing problems like satiation in behavioral interventions. The token economy allows the individual to be reinforced immediately for emitting the desired behavior but at the same time encourages the individual to elicit the behavior more frequently so that more tokens can be acquired and a desired item/activity can be obtained. Token economies are also fairly economic for the individual administering the intervention when planned correctly. A mark on a board or sticker does not cost very much but is still effective in modifying a behavior. Tokens can also be reused after being turned in where as a reinforcer like a Skittle cannot be reused.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I think situations with higher functioning individuals are most effective. It takes some degree of cognitive ability to understand that if one acquires enough tokens, the individual can acquire a more salient reinforcer. If the individual does not understand that the immediate reinforcer leads to a more desirable reinforcer, the program probably won’t work. I also think that situations in which the individuals can be monitored closely and carefully are most effective for token economies. If an individual is not observed emitting a behavior and does not receive a token, the individual might give up. Based on that assumption, token economies probably work best with small groups or groups in which there are many supervisors.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think that token economies would be least effective with individuals with very low cognitive functioning. These individuals might not understand the purpose of the token and have trouble keeping track of their tokens. A primary reinforcer would probably be more effective in that situation. Also, a token economy might not be effective in a situation in which the individuals are malicious or criminal. A token economy might elicit undesirable behaviors such as stealing and counterfeiting.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
One token economy that I am currently under is the punch card system at a coffee shop. If you buy 10 drinks, the 11th one is free. This makes buying a drink at the coffee shop even more reinforcing because eventually I will earn a free one.
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy it’s a way to reinforce a behavior that we really want to be followed by others. Usually this process it’s used in schools and basically token is a point system where the teacher define the behavior that she wants to “control”, increase or decrease; so, every time the child do the right behavior is reinforced with the reinforcer that was chosen by the teacher. The objects that act like a reinforcer has to be carefully chosen for to have the right effect and made the child want to participate in the “game”.
2) Do you think they are useful? Why?
Token is useful when carefully defined, with understandable and objective goals. If it’s a good Token there are possibilities that the class improve the good behavior and the grades; if is not good soon will be more problems with the class, because some student can feel that the rules are not fair for everyone, the timing could be bad, the children can understand the strategy and work just for the reinforcement, etc.
3) What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
Token is most effective in classes in primary school, for teaching good behavior and increase good grades. In home we can use a token to start to introduce the rules of the house to the children and create an environment that the child can understand and follow. In teams to see if everyone reach the proposed goals.
4) What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think will be most effective in groups than individual, because we naturally compete and we try to be better than the other. In high school I think is not so effective because it is a complicated age.
5) Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
In work, if we have more positive behaviors we probably get a promotion; if I have good grades, I can do anything I want in summer. In Mauker Union there are some coupons, if we drink 6 coffees we will have a free coffee.
A token economy is basically using a physical reward to either reinforce or punish a behavior that one wishes to change in another person. Usually the physical reward is a chip, fake (or real) money or points, which can then be “redeemed” for other things, such as toys, free time, or candy. Other times, the physical reward may be something like a sticker. The physical reward must always be combined with praise, especially when weaning somebody off of the token economy system. Each time the person emits the desired behavior (or fails to emit the undesirable behavior), it should elicit praise. Depending on the stage of the token economy, it may also elicit the physical reward.
I believe that token economies are useful because everybody uses a token economy whether they are aware of it or not. People all over the world do jobs they don’t like because they are reinforced with money that they can use elsewhere, to buy food, shelter, clothes, and other things that they need or want. If they don’t show up for work, they are punished by a loss of money. Even if they show up for work, they can be punished by a loss of money by emitting other undesirable behaviors, such as stealing from the company. While token economies are useful, their degree of effectiveness does depend on individual people; some people find it more reinforcing than others.
The workforce is probably the most effective use of token economies because of the large number of people that are employed or try to be employed. Other effective places for token economies include elementary schools and stores. Elementary schools are effective places for token economies because it is relatively cheap to start a token economy and little kids are very responsive to the idea of being able to do certain things to earn certain rewards (or decrease doing things to earn certain rewards). Stores are also effective places for token economies because adults respond well to the idea that they can get “free” stuff if they spend so much money or get so many punches on a card. In actuality, they probably aren’t really getting anything for “free,” but they believe they are and it helps them assuage any guilt they might have for spending more money than they wanted.
There are places were token economies would not be as effective. I believe one of the earlier posters mentioned high school, and I would agree with that. The reason that high school would not be effective for token economies is that teenagers have rather expensive tastes, especially compared to little kids, and it would not be financially feasible to create a token economy that would actually be effectively reinforcing. Another reason is that teenagers often don’t see teachers as “cool,” and so doing things to impress the teacher wouldn’t be reinforcing. In fact, it could be punishing, because they would most likely get teased by their peers. For me, personally, another place that a token economy would not be effective would be a store that I don’t shop at. For example, I rarely go to Starbucks, so if they had a punch card, I would never use it. Having the punch card would not be sufficiently reinforcing enough for me to shop there frequently. Any store that someone doesn’t shop at would not be able to have an effective token economy for that shopper.
Currently, I am under several token economies. The first one is school. It is reinforcing to me to do my homework and come to class to earn A’s in my courses. Another one is stores. I have several punch cards that I use when I go clothes shopping – they’re all for clothes. I don’t know that I shop there more frequently, but I do shop there, as opposed to stores that I don’t go into at all, just because I don’t have a punch card. Finally, I have several credit cards that offer no interest if paid back in so many months, and those are the ones that I use most often. It’s reinforcing to me to not have to pay extra on interest, so stores that offer a credit card with those types of “deals” are the ones that I am likely to apply for and the ones I’m likely to use.
1.)A token economy is where a behavior is reinforced by a “token” that can later be exchanged for a new reinforcer. Token economies are only effective when the token reinforces either an increase or decrease in a behavior.
2.)In my opinion, token economies are effective, however the costs seem to outweigh the benefits. In other words, I think people respond well to “tokens,” but the system can be a bit complex. It is important that the token properly reinforces the behavior, otherwise it will not work.
3.)I think that a token economy would be most effective in elementary age classroom settings or business settings. Children would respond well to a rewards system because they are often times competitive with their classmates and would want to get more tokens than them. I think rewards systems are also effective in businesses, such as the K-Mart Rewards system. If people are getting points, or tokens, for items they are already buying, they would be more likely to purchase at the place where they get points.
4.)I think token economies are less likely to work with people who might feel less need for competition or who don’t feel the need to look for a competitive price. People who aren’t competitive aren’t going to care who gets the most tokens, so they probably won’t really participate. Also, people who have a large sum of money and don’t really look at competitive prices would be less likely to shop somewhere simply because they have rewards. They would probably just stick to what is most convenient at the time.
5.)I’m currently under a token economy at Buckle, Maurices, and Victoria’s Secret. When I shop at Buckle or Maurices, for every 20 dollars I spend, I get a punch on my card. When that card is entirely full, I get 10 dollars off my purchase. At Victoria’s Secret, they currently have a Secret Reward Card opportunity. For every time you spend over 10 dollars, you get a “Secret Reward Card” worth 10, 50, 100, or 500 dollars that you can reveal in December.
1.A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers. Some examples are plastic or metal chips, points, stars, punches holes, stickers, happy faces or play money.
2.I believe people emitting the behavior of token economies is a good idea. Such token economies are useful for altering and changing people’s behaviors. Token economies are a consequence of good behavior. Everyone likes positive reinforcements after emitting a good behavior. Token economies are used widely in schools as consequences of behaviors for student’s actions. I remember in grade school that I would receive a star sticker on a board in school for the display of good behavior.
3.The situations I believe token economies work best for is classroom settings with young children and it would be useful for me with my children that I nanny for. Children I think are some of the easiest subjects to influence. By using such reinforcers like token economies they will want to continue the good work so they can be rewarded in front of others.
4.I feel they would be least effective in a large work corporation. Usually adults that are emitting the behavior of working hard in their job don’t want to receive a gold star for the day or fake money. They would like to get a raise or a promotion to display to others that they are succeeding. I feel as if they wouldn’t like token economies are enough reward for their hard work.
5.Some token economies I am currently under is that I am being reinforced to buy smoothies, sandwiches and coffees with the different punch cards I have. I have to buy 9 smoothies to get the tenth one free, same with the coffees and I need to buy 11 sandwiches to get the 12th free. I also have frequent flier miles that I need to use so I am trying to find a fun place I can go on spring break. I also have reward cards at Victoria secret and Best Buy.
What is a token economy?
After emitting a reading behavior about token economies, I think I have learned a lot. I would say that a token economy is an arrangement of behavior modification that is used with positive reinforcement that came from operant conditioning. Another similar definition would be if someone does exhibits a positive target behavior, or decreases some aversive behavior, they will be rewarded with tokens (which could be poker chips, stamps, monopoly money, hole punches, etc).
Do you think they are useful? Why?
I think that token economies can be extremely useful in many situations! I think that they can be useful to help people learn ways of doing things, and it is positive which makes it more fun and less aversive. Also, especially if you use it for children, it can almost be like a game or a fun challenge. I think it can help children with learning, as well as life lessons.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I think token economies would be the most effective when it comes to children, either in the classroom or at home. I think that kids can learn life lessons as well as being respectful and responsible as well. I know when I was in elementary school, and even middle school we had token economies. When we would display a positive behavior such as being in our seat when the bell rang, or standing in line to go to lunch we would receive stickers and stamps. I remember in elementary school there was a substitute teacher that was “known” for using stamps when she subbed. I think people considered her a full time teacher because she seemed to be subbing in my school at least 3 out of the 5 days of the week. She would use stamps as reinforcers, and depending on how many stamps we got at the end of the day depended on what prices we would get from the “treasure chest.” I think it really encouraged children to be respectful and follow the rules. I think this definitely reinforced many kids, especially if I remember all of this from 10 years ago.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
When it comes to a token economy becoming not as effective, I would say that would happen in a situation like college, or in an actual career maybe in a large company. First off, college kids don’t really have the option of getting gold stars or punches if they are ‘sitting in their seat ready for class,’ or ‘sitting in their seat on time.’ I feel that with college students, your just on your own. Some classes offer participation points, or attendance points, but overall the student is the one that chooses their own reinforcers, and specifically what their priorities are. If is your choice if you want to go to class or not, or study and put effort into your schooling. I have never been in a college class that has offered gold stars, punch cards, or tokens. The only things I have received are attendance points, yet for some students that is not a reinforcer. Also, after going through so many years of schooling before we attend college, we already know what behaviors we need to emit, and which ones are acceptable and which ones are not.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
There are a couple token economies that I am currently under. I have multiple punch cards from food franchises such as Panera, Pita Pita and Pancheros. Also, I think I have a couple punch cards for clothing stores, where if you spend $20.00 for more, you receive a punch, and if you get all 10 punches you get 20% off your total bill on your next purchase. I think that many of my friends and family members are also under these token economies, and I think a lot of people don’t even realize it.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is when a person or group of people are reinforced for their behaviors by a token of some sort which may later on be used for reinforcement as well. Examples of this may be in a classroom when a teacher gives a student a sticker every time he gets a spelling test right. Then at the end of the quarter the teacher might reward the student with the most stickers, thus reinforcing the reinforcers. Another example of this that I just came across the other day is punching holes in a restaurant card. My boyfriend works at Scheels so whenever he has a lunch break he always goes to the same restaurant in the food court every day. He does this because every time he goes there he gets a punch in his card. After 7 punches, he gets a free small meal. My boyfriend doesn’t realize that they are doing this so they can get more money. Instead, he thinks it is benefiting him by allowing him a free meal after he buys 7 of them.
Do you think they are useful? Why?
Yes, I think they are very useful because it is basically using a very basic type of reinforcement to manipulate someone to do something (that may benefit them) without them even realizing it. Like the example I used above with the students, they don’t realize that they are learning material that they will need throughout their lives. Instead, they only focus on the reinforcement of getting a sticker. If the students didn’t have a reward to learn and didn’t receive their tokens, they might not have the motivation they need to learn that material. The teachers do this so that they can help the students in the long run. That’s one reason I believe they are very useful, especially in schools. I think these token economies need to be very clearly spelled out to the participants so they feel as though they have a say and know the rules of this token economy. Rules that are not clearly written out can cause confusion among the participants. There may be fights about fairness and confusion about what they should be receiving in comparison to others and so on.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
Token economies would be most effective when the rules are clearly spelled out and well defined. I think this would apply for businesses using the punch cards or other rewards such as the one I described above with my boyfriend and the restaurant. It was very well defined that he must buy 7 meals to receive the 8th meal free. This caused my boyfriend to want to buy more meals from that restaurant instead of buying his lunch elsewhere, because he would only receive the free meal from that restaurant. It manipulated his behavior to buy food from only there and therefore stamped out the competition and increased its own sales. I think this was very effective and can sometimes even fool its participants into thinking they are saving a bunch of money when really the food there might be more expensive than others. Either way, however, it works. I also think this would be effective with children in school. Using a reward system is much more fun and exciting than just simply doing the work to gain the knowledge. I think colleges should use more token economy systems to reinforce us for doing our work!
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think it would be least effective in economies where there is a lack of motivation for these tokens or a higher need for personal gain rather than reinforcements. I don’t think certain tokens would be as effective with college students mainly because there are many students who aren’t motivated enough to even work hard for a reward. Some students may completely repel the reward and go in the opposite direction. I just think it would be hard to be completely fair in these rewards as well which might cause chaos. Also, I think it might be hard to use token economies in the elderly population as well. I volunteer at a nursing home and there are a group of them who come and play the Wii every Monday. However, the enrichment coordinator is having a difficult time I think coming up with ways to reward the elderly when they are being active and social in their daily lives. She started giving out tickets for an “auction” at the end of each few months so that they can use the tickets to buy things they want. This must not be working, however, because there are very few elderly people who want to come out of their rooms to be social even when they are receiving these tokens. Most of them either don’t have enough room in their apartments for any more things or just plain don’t have the motivation to receive the rewards. Therefore, I think these situations make it very difficult for a token economy to be very effective.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I’m definitely under a few food token economies. I go to Chats and get a punch in my card every time I get a coffee, so of course I’m going to keep going back there to get my coffee in the mornings. I think it ended a while ago but what really gets me is the McDonald’s monopoly game system. I keep going back for more to see if I can get a free meal by pulling on of the tabs and eventually it happens, but it keeps me going back. I believe that’s a token economy for them that draws in many more customers.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system in which target behaviors are reinforced with pleasurable responses- ie: tokens. Tokens can be anything from stickers, to hole punches, to stars. These are great ways to reinforce behavior with things other than money or verbal positive reinforcement. The tokens would elicit the target behavior, and therefore the behavior would be emitted. These tokens can be used with verbal praise, and WHY the behavior elicited a token and praise. As this goes on, and the behavior is learned, the tokens can be used more sparingly.
2)Do you think they are useful? Why?
I think these are useful especially in elementary schools. I think this because children may need a tangible thing to elicit the behavior again. When this behavior is accompanied with verbal praise- it is extremely positively reinforcing. Even now though, for example, in one of my classes, an A on a test elicits a smiley face sticker on the test. These are great advertisement as well. At Chats if you buy 9 drinks, you get the 10th free. This elicits buying drinks and also is positive reinforcement with the free drink. I think they work well as a child at home as well. When I was younger, I got a sticker each week if I did certain target behaviors (chores). These stickers added up and at the end of the month, I was reinforced with another, but more reinforcing token (such as a new toy).
3)What situations do you think they will be most effective?
These seem to be most effective with children. They can be reinforcing with adults, but adults are more oriented towards money. Tokens are a great way to teach children about earning money.
4)What situations do you think they will be least effective? Why?
This reinforcement may be unlikely to be effective in situations that the children are too young to understand. For example, a sticker may mean little to a preschooler. This could also be difficult to use in environments in which the children are misbehaving. The tokens could elicit aversive responses such as bragging and too much competition. In college it is difficult to use token economies because you aren't with the same people in your classes, nor do you spend as much time in the classroom. During elemetary school you generally are in the same classroom, with the same people, and the same teachers.
5) Can you think of any token economies you are currently under?
Currently, some token economies in my life would be in my classes. An example is the smiley face sticker. This could elicit the behavior of studying more for the test to get an A. When I emit the behavior of playing games- such as monopoly, you can get houses, hotels, and fake money as positive reinforcers for a pleasurable response. When I emit the behavior of buying clothes at a store, or coffee at a shop, you can get punch cards. The pleasurable response and secondary reinforcer would be getting something free or getting a number of dollars off.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is when target behaviors are reinforced with something that wouldn’t be considered a reinforcer in another environment. To implement this correctly a person must be reinforced for either increasing or decreasing a behavior that already exists. It is also key to reinforce close approximations of the desired behavior.
Do I think they are useful?
I think they can be used effectively for sure! For example, a token economy I was a part of in 6th grade was in my social studies class. The teacher would ask questions in class to the students and in order to get them to participate in class; he would give people who answered the questions correctly “Bence Bucks” that can be used as extra credit points in any assignment or test. Because I wanted them, I was an active participant in that class. So yes, people enjoy getting rewarded for behaviors they emit and this is a way to get behaviors reinforced.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
Token economy systems would be most useful in a classroom setting to either get the students to learn the material, or to reward them for good behavior. It would probably be best used at a younger age though. I can also see this being used well in businesses. They can use rewards programs to get people to buy more of their merchandise.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective?
I could see token economies not working well if the thing the tokens gave access to were easy to access without tokens. Like if tokens could be exchanged for water bottles but there is a water fountain down the hall, people would do whatever they want.
Can you think of any token economies you are currently
under?
Yes, at Gamestop, I am currently a powerup rewards member. This means that for every dollar I spend, I get points that I can redeem for prizes. This reinforces me to make my game purchases at Gamestop so I can get prizes!
1)What is a token economy?
- A token economy is a system where a target behavior is reinforced by recieving a token (that may come in different forms) that can later be exchanged for a back up reinforcer. This is to elicitate either an increase or decrease for a behavior.
2)Do you think they are useful? Why?
- I think that this can be an extremely useful technique. I feel that at almost any age people are likely to emit a behavior more often (or less often) if they are being reinforced for it. For example when I was in elementry our class would get a ceratin amount of points depending on how well we listened and how quiet we were and after we reached one hundred points we would get a class party. This elicitated us all to act better and encourage each other to listen since the points were based on our class as a whole and not just individually.
3) What situations do you feel they would be most effective? Why?
- I think that token economy systems would be most effective in a situation where the reinforcement has greater appeal to those who you are trying to reinforce. This is because typically it takes emitting the target behavior quite a few times before exchanging it for the reinforcement, so unless the reinforcement seems worth the wait it may seem less reinforing because of the wait. I think it works great for older children in elementry, or punch cards for adults who get rewarded for buying something at a certain store they would probably have to buy anyways.
4) What situations do you feel would be least effective? Why?
- I think that a token economy system would be less effective if the reinforcement is not very appealing to those who you are trying to reinforce. For instance stickers may work for young children, but would not be very reinforcing for adults. Also I think that for younger children who do not quite understand clearly what the tokens mean and that they have to wait to be reinforced would cause this system to be less effective.
5) Can you think of any token economies you are currently under?
- Yes. I have many different punch cards for clothing stores, where after I spend so much money I get a hole punched in the card and after I have reached a certain amount of punches I get a discount on my next purchase. This elicitates me to shop at there stores more, because when I plan on buying clothes anyways it is more appealing to shop where I get rewarded for shopping.
What is a token economy?
“A token economy is a system of behavior modification based on the systematic positive reinforcement of target behavior. The reinforcers are symbols or tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforcers. Token economy is based on the principles of operant conditioning and can be situated within applied behavior analysis (behaviorism). Token economies are applied with children and adults.” (Wiki)
Do you think they are useful? Why?
“Tokens are among the more flexible behavior management strategies and effective to motivate and strengthen human behavior. When properly used tokens economies can help parents, teachers, employers and any other person who has never thought or uttered the words help me with my children, to increase motivation, improve compliance, learn new skills, to follow rules, refrain from breaking the rules and much more. They may also teach and provide people with goals to be achieved, a sense of achievement and accomplishment and a predictable way to access the desired items or activities.” (I wrote a paper on token economies in 1996 for intro psych class and this question was asked then, I paraphrased my opening statement here)
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
Effective applications would include: institutions such as prisons and psychiatric units, treatment programs, places of employment, educational settings and special education settings in particular, as well as in our very own homes. They can be tailored for one or many settings, for individual behaviors or multiple behaviors, for individuals or for groups and for any combination thereof. They can be as simple or as complex as required and are designed with the flexibility to be continually adjusted and updated as necessary in order to maximize their effectiveness.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think situations where you are trying to decrease a behavior are the least effective way to use a token economy. If you want to increase a behavior it is a good system (rewarding) but rewarding for not doing a negative behavior (at least to me) does not seem to be effective. I guess if you look at prison studies showing some token economies I could be wrong, but for schools I don’t see the overall effectiveness of rewarding for not doing a disruptive/aversive behavior.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I’m currently eliciting positive tokens from several different places/companies---cash back on my credit card and more cash back if I use it at particular places as well as another credit card that I receive “points” to use to buy things or redeem for airline/hotel points. I’m actually enrolled in several “reward” programs with the amount of traveling I do (rental cars, airlines, hotels, AAA). Most of them did not cost to enroll and they do actually reward you if you abide by the rules that they have set forth.
A token economy is a system in which individuals are specifically reinforced with a predetermined token for a target behavior they emit. In order for them to receive the token the participant must correctly exhibit the target behavior. However, in a token economy an individual can even emit a behavior that is somewhat close to the desired behavior. In this sense you can train an individual toward the ultimate target behavior one step at a time by rewarding them for behaviors that are close or on the path to achieving the target behavior.
I certainly think that a token economy can be useful in certain situations and totally useless in other situations. Instances when it would be extremely useful would be when you are attempting to work toward an ultimate target behavior by rewarding the participant by the progress they make toward that goal with token rewards. Such examples of this could be treats for a pet dog when you are attempting to teach them the boundaries of the underground electrical fence. Another such example where it would be a good method is in the casino. The predetermined token reward in this situation would be the clay poker chips. The target behavior is getting people to gamble with these said chips. However, in this situation there is no set or guaranteed reward because it is all due to chance, but if they do get lucky by continually playing they will receive additional poker chips for their winnings. Certain situations, however, I do not think would be very effective. First, if the group you are working with cannot grasp the idea of a token economy then they will not understand what the tokens accomplish or what behaviors are expected of them. This could be in the case of young children whom you would like to train up in a certain way or try to get some behavior to cease.
One token economy that I am currently under, as others have said is a swipe card at Panera. For every ‘x’ amount of dollars I spend there or for ‘x’ number of times it is swiped I gain rewards. The target behavior here would be spending my money at Panera and having them swipe my card. For this behavior I am on occasion rewarded with either free food or drink, which is pretty awesome. It works well for Panera too because then I will stop by more often with the hopes that I have earned some free food.
1. A token economy is defined as a behavior modification technique that uses a physical item (token,points, or chips) and then have the individual exchange later for a backup reinforcer. The tokens are used to reinforce or punish a desired behavior. A token economy strategy can only work if the teacher or person elicits praise to the students and then takes away or rewards these physical tokens.
2. I believe that using a token economy could easily work with younger children, teenagers and even college students. I believe that as a young child using points, stickers, and physical tokens would emit a desired behavior or eliminate an unwanted behavior because children like receiving rewards for their good behavior. As a teenager, I believe that the token economy would have to use grades or a point system to maintain their interest and motivation. Moreover, college students may want a reinforcer of points for their grade as well to maintain their focus on emitting a desired behavior. The age of an individual may contribute to the downfalls of a token economy. Also, the token economy allows the individuals to feel praised (or punished) for their behaviors.
3. The situation where I think token economy would be the most effective would be for elementary aged children at school. Another situation where I believe this behavior modification technique would work is giving children free time, or a class pet.
4. A situation I believe it would be the least effective in college and high school settings because all students have different ideas of reinforcers. The different techniques listed in the reading would personally not work on myself because the “points” would become salient after awhile unless it was intertwined with my grade. Therefore, if the reinforcer that would be used as a token economy for high school and college students interrelated with our grading system, it may become an effective situation.
5. I currently emit a token economy at Panera, Starbucks, and in Maucker Union with punch cards and points. My panera card elicits points to me when I emit an eating behavior there and then after so many points I get a free bagel. Moreover, my starbucks card elicits the same behavior to me as the panera card with a point system activated when I purchase a coffee. The third token economy in my life right now is in Maucker Union I have a punch card after I purchase 6 hot drinks I get the 7th one for free. In conclusion even though I have these tokens right now, after so many times of using them I may become less interested if they do not “switch up” the exchanged reinforcers.
A token economy is a system of reinforcement which rewards a person for emitting a specific behavior using items which can be traded in later on for backup reinforcers. The person is reinforced immediately after the desirable behavior has been emitted or when an undesirable behavior has ceased. Typically, the tokens which are used as reinforcement are fake money, small chips, or even gold stars. These can be traded in later on for small items, free time, or possibly even snacks.
I feel that this system is definitely useful and can be very effective in training a person to emit correct behaviors. Why I think this system can be so effective is that it rewards a person with a small, inexpensive item which can be traded in later for an item the person finds more pleasurable. This allows the person to keep on working and keep on emitting desirable behaviors and is very cheap for the person implementing the program. For example, in one of my self-implemented behavioral programs, I reinforced myself with a glass of iced tea each night I emitted the correct behavior. This was and still is very effective for me but I must keep buying iced tea to ensure that I am being reinforced appropriately. The token economy allows the person emitting correct behaviors to be reinforced every time the correct behavior was emitted, and the person is not spending large amounts of money to do so. Also, this system, if implemented correctly, will likely not allow for satiation to occur.
I feel situations in which a token economy is the most effective is in the classroom or at home with young children. I feel as though young children get very excited when they are rewarded and look forward to keep on being rewarded which will likely increase desirable behavior occurrence. Also, in a classroom setting, elementary students (and even high school students) are expected to emit many behaviors which are deemed appropriate, such as sitting in their seat, raising their hand to speak, work quietly, etc. which can be interfered with, especially when surrounded by close friends. The token economy allows for reinforcement for every desirable behavior (at first) without causing satiation or breaking the bank. It also good when implemented at restaurants and at stores; Cold Stone has “bmodded” me to keep on purchasing their “love it” size ice cream so that I can be reinforced with a punch which will eventually get me to that free bowl of ice cream.
Situations in which I feel this would be least effective are at department stores. Some stores will have specials in which if you spend a certain amount of money over time (tracked on a credit card) you get a certain amount of money to spend their free. At least for myself, I typically only shop when I need to, especially at expensive department stores. The point of this “special” is to get people to want to spend more money. This does not want me to keep going back and pending more money on things that I do not need.
A token economy that I am currently under was the example used previously with Cold Stone. After I purchase a certain number of ice creams that are a certain size (tracked by a punch card), I will be reinforced with a free ice cream. I also am under one with my hair salon, after I get a haircut at the salon a certain number of times, I will be reinforced with a free hair cut, also kept track of using a punch card.
1.) A token economy is a system in which individuals are reinforced for emitting a specific target behavior. Individuals are initially given token as a reinforcer when they emit the target behavior and they later exchanged for back up reinforcers.
2.) I think token economies are useful, especially for children. A token economy would both teach the children what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate in certain situations, and would make the process fun and interactive. I think a token economy would be a much better alternative to teachers just scolding children or telling them what to do. I also think it would give children a sense of independence as well. They can decide how many tokens they want to save in order to get whatever prize/reward they find interesting.
3.) I think token economies could be beneficial to everyone no matter what age they are or whether they are in school or at their jobs. I think token economies would be especially effective in schools, not just in the younger grades but in high school as well. For younger children you could obviously give them tokens for raising their hand and stuff like that. For older kids you could use it for attendance, homework, or contributing to classroom discussions. I think token economies in schools would help kids learn and give school a little bit of a more exciting atmosphere. The Kids have something to look forward to and strive for and in the process they are probably more attentive and more eager to learn the material.
4.) I really think token economies could be effective in pretty much every situation. However, I think they could be harder to implement in situations with individuals who have severe intellectual disabilities. It may be hard for these individuals to understand what is expected of them or even to display certain behaviors. But even with these individuals I think a token economy could ultimately be effective.
5.) In one of my classes my professor gives attendance points randomly on certain days. So if you are there on whatever day he decides to give an attendance point you get one point extra credit, but if you are not there you lose a point. At the end of the semester he adds up whatever points you have accumulated over the semester and that is the total number of extra credit points you get for that class.
After emitting the behavior of reading this article I now understand that a token economy is a system where one is reinforced for a certain behavior by being given a token which could be a circular chip, a sticker on a board, punches in a card, etc. These tokens will later be exchanged for a backup reinforcer. There are three parts to this token economy system and that is to pinpoint behaviors to be changed, specifically with my example would be classroom behaviors such as cleaning up your station after an activity. The second part of the token economy is building the token economy which involves identifying the tokens, explaining the value, how to obtain a token, creating a record of all tokens earned, and specifying when tokens may be exchanged for the final reinforcer. Lastly, you implement the program by clearly explaining all aspects of the system, giving tokens out for specified behaviors, keeping records, exchanging the earned tokens for the specified reinforcements with praise and acknowledgement for earning them, and finally making necessary adjustments as time goes and the program begins to shape into its own.
I think they are useful because I remember back when I was young we had a board that when you did something good, you got a gold star on a board in the class for everyone to see. Just having others see how many gold stars you had was reinforcing the good behaviors emitted in order to receive the tokens and on the other hand when you did not have very many stars at all is was rather embarrassing therefore it was rather aversive so that in turn made students try harder to emit the good behaviors in order to elicit the response of getting a gold star. Of course the other obvious fact that the tokens are later exchanged for a real reinforcer such as money or play time also adds to the effectiveness of this system. Due to the fact that there is immediate reinforcement by getting the gold star and by others being able to see it and then another reinforcement that comes later makes this system rather successful for controlling/encouraging behavior.
I believe the token economy system would work in a classroom for sure, mainly because I have been there and see it work. I think it could work in a professional work environment if and only if the system is taken seriously and people really are being reinforced by desirable reinforcements that make the behavior needed to earn it worth emitting.
I believe that the token economy could not work in the government or any political system mainly because of the fact that there is so much corruption and manipulation going on that it would not matter what the reinforcements were because it would be easier to bribe or manipulate your way into getting the reinforcement rather than actually putting in the work to emit the specified behaviors.
I am under a token economy by my bank. At U.S. Bank if you use your debit card a certain way then you get “rewards” which come as money but you cannot access the money until a certain amount is obtained or until a certain time passes. Also, I’ve already explained throughout this blogpost that I was under a token economy when I was a little child in school, probably in preschool through elementary, (I do not quite remember).
Overall I think this system will work wonders if the program is clear and simple and understood by it’s participants. I think it can be one of the most effective systems to use on children while they are growing up to teach them desirable behaviors versus undesirable behaviors and I plan to employ it on my children when those days come.
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers.
I think token economies are useful because they are an effective and easy way to reinforce multiple target behaviors at once. The best thing about token economies is that you can reinforce multiple target behaviors instead of only one at a time. Token economies are cheap and easy to use, so they can be used with pretty much any group of people.
I feel like token economies would be most effective with groups of people with at least an average level of cognitive capabilities. The people have to understand what the token stands for and why having those tokens will benefit them. I think that token economies work best with young children, especially in a classroom setting. Kindergarteners for example are eager to please and competitive with their classmates, so they would strive to be successful in a token economy.
I feel token economies would be least effective with animals or people with low cognitive ability such as the very young or mentally disabled. Animals would not take interest in token economies because they are typically reinforced by more instant gratification and primary reinforcers such as food. People with low cognitive function would not be able to understand what the tokens represented or why they would be beneficial to earn.
Currently, I am under a token economy in my residence hall. In the hall, we get something called "Campbell Cash" for attending things like senate events, opening our doors, or attending house meetings. At the end of the year, we have an auction where we can use our accumulated Campbell Cash to "buy" prizes. This token economy reinforces the behavior of attending hall events.
Reading Activity week 13
A token economy is a system where individual reinforcement of a target behavior in which an object of some kind is given that can later be exchanged for a reinforcement of one’s choice. The objects administrated for an emitted target behavior could be a sticker, marble, penny, or anything that can be collected with no initial reinforcement that can be later exchanged for a meaningful reinforcement. This object is where you get the “token” in a token economy. A piece of candy is not a good object to use as a token because it can be a reinforcement in itself. I think this is a useful way to reinforce a target behavior emitted. I think this is a good way to reinforce young children’s behavior because it allows them to visually see how close they are to a reinforcement of their choice. They also get a token for target behaviors along with praise. I think the token economy is effective at home when you want children to do their chores. They could get a token for all their chores they do and when they accumulate so many tokens, they could get tv time or game time or time to hang out with friends. I also think it will work in a daycare environment or a elementary school. I think this is an affective system when children don’t understand the concept of grades. I think in school we use this when grading. We get points for the work we emit and at the end of the class they are added together and the reinforcement is the grade we receive for the points we accumulated.
A token economy is when a person or a group of people is reinforced for their behaviors by some sort of token, which could later be used for reinforcement as well. These tokens can be exchanged later for backup reinforcers. Examples of these tokens could be stickers, plastic chips, play money, or points.
I think that token economies are extremely useful in many situations. These token economies are especially useful for altering and changing people’s behavior. Many times people only focus on the reinforcement they are receiving (stickers, points, etc.) because they want to get as many as possible. For example, in elementary school, some teachers give students stickers for answering a question correctly. If they reach a certain number of stickers, they may be allowed some type of extra reinforcer such as a treat or extra time at recess. The students then focus on getting as many stickers as they can, but don’t even realize they are learning at the same time because they will remember the answers better. I also think that this system is useful because it is easy to use.
I think token economies would be most effective when the rules are clearly defined. I think this would be situations such as in schools with the stickers, or with stores who do a point reward system for purchasing so many of their products. These systems have clearly defined rules such as buy 10 Starbucks coffees and get your 11th one free. The individual knows what he/she must do to get rewarded and there are no questions about it. On the other hand, the individual is also more likely to get involved with this type of system because they want to get that reward, so they would be willing to go through the “token” process to get the end reward or reinforcement.
I think token economies would be least effective in situations where the individual does not understand how the system works. For example, in the school reward system, if the students did not understand what the stickers were for, or if the students were too young to even understand how such a system would work. Also, token economies would be least effective when the individual has to earn a ridiculous amount of tokens to earn their backup reinforcer. This would only discourage the individual from wanting to earn these tokens.
I am currently under two token economies through the Buckle and Victoria’s Secret. At Buckle, for every $20 I spend they punch your card, and when the card is full you get $10 off your next purchase. At Victoria’s Secret right now for every $10 you spend you get a reward card back worth either $10, $50, $100, or $500 that you can use in December.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of a specific target behavior where tokens are given and exchanged at a later time for backup reinforcers. These tokens come in several forms like: plastic or metal circular chips, marks on a blackboard, points, hole punched cards, etc. This system is only successful if a person is reinforced for increasing or decreasing existing behaviors as well as successive approximations of the behaviors we want to establish.
Do you think they are useful?
This web page elicited me to emit the behavior of thinking that token economies are effective in increasing desired target behaviors through the act of reinforcement. As I have learned through this class, reinforcement is the best way to increase a desired behavior or even decrease an undesired behavior. Therefore, with a token economy where people are rewarded for their desired behaviors, they are continuing to be reinforced which would increase the desired behavior. Without reinforcement, we may be less likely to emit target behaviors because we don’t receive a “reward” for doing so.
What situations do you think will be most effective? Why?
I think emitting a token economy system would be most effective in a classroom or office setting. In a classroom, a token economy system can be used to reinforce the students to do their homework, follow the rules, get good grades, etc. By issuing tokens to the student when they emit these target behaviors, they will be rewarded. This will help increase the behavior through reinforcement. Also, children are competitive and by giving them tokens, they may compete with other students to get the most tokens. Another situation in which a token economy could be most effective is in the office. For example, if someone sells a lot of something, they get more tokens. They can then use their tokens for paid time off, raises, etc. This could help people want to work harder increasing positive behaviors.
What situations do you think they will be least effective? Why?
I think emitting a token economy system in a high school setting would be least effective. During this time, teens are complicated and are in that rebellion stage. They may not care if they get tokens or not. Also, they don’t have recess or free time that could be used as a reinforcer. It would be hard to find a specific reinforcer that would work for all students. They are also becoming more independent and may not care as much about school as they do their social lives, sports, etc.
Can you think of any token economies you are currently under?
I am currently involved in a token economy system at ULTA. I have a club member card there where I earn different rewards with the amount of money I spend. There are different levels of membership there as well. Each month, I get a new magazine that has a coupon on it with a certain amount of savings. As I continue to spend money there, when I finally reach a specific amount of money spent, I will move up and earn more savings in my next month’s magazine. Another token economy system I am involved in is at the Buckle. I have a punch card where they hole punch it once for every ten dollars I spend. Once I have the whole card punched out, I get ten dollars off my next purchase.
1. What is token economy?
A token economy is where our positive behaviors are reinforced with a token, such as a sticker, jelly beans, stars, etc. Later on, these tokens are exchanged for a bigger reward.
2. Do you believe they are useful? Why?
I do believe they are useful because they award people with a bigger positive in the end and increase the frequency of emitting the desired behavior. The tokens take the role of dependency and people rely on them. These can be used to alter a person's behavior in a good and a bad way. For example, if someone were trying to emit a behavior of losing weight, every 10 minutes they worked out, they could place a star on their journal and when they got 10 stars, they could award themselves with purchasing a new shirt.
3. What situations do you feel they would be most effective? Why?
I think that token situations are effective when the goal is very clear. I work at Eddison elementary school in waterloo and at the end of the day, the kids are assigned a differet color sticker. The colors represent the kind of behavior they emitted throughout the day. If they have a bad sticker, their parents get angry with them and this is to hopefully decrease the frequency of their aversive behavior. Like I mentioned before, I feel like for trying to lose weight, or save money would be other good examples of using tokens.
4. What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think that for some people who procrastinate, token economies would not be good for them. They would take forever to decide on a token, then have to take the time to actuallly record the data and reinforce themselves. I also don't believe it would work for people who are already living busy life styles and want to just emit a certain behavior, but not take the time to adjust or change anything about it. It may also be ineffective if used for children at school with the stickers who don't care if their parents are angry with them, or who are too young to understand what the sticker really means.
5. Can you think of any token economies you are under?
I am currently under three token economies right now with Maurices, Vanity and decreasing an aversive behavior of mine. At Maurices and Vanity, I have punch cards that get a punch for every $10 I spend in the store. Once the punch card is full, I get 10% off on my next store purchase. These punches increase the frequency of me coming back and buying something. The token economy I chose for my aversive behavior is a gold star. Each week that I go without doing this aversive behavior, I place a gold star in my sketch book. (I consider my weeks to start and end on Sundays.)
What is a token economy?
A token economy is based upon the idea that students or employees are positively reinforced for exhibiting specific target behaviors. This can be as easy as giving a student a “token” for waiting to speak until he is called on by the teacher. Token economies elicit behaviors in people that are favorable or accepted. Generally, the facilitator (teacher or boss) dispenses token to individuals when they emit a behavior. This recipient of the token then can use the tokens to “purchase” items or free time. For example, if Sally has 6 tokens at the end of the day, she can either spend 3 tokens on a doll and her remaining 3 on some candy, or she can choose to use her all of her 6 tokens for 30 extra minutes of free play. Token economies function when they are well established and praise is emitted while the individual receives the token.
Do you think they are useful? Why?
Yes, I think token economies are useful. It is basic behavior modification. One a target behavior is emitted, the person is positively reinforced. By giving the individuals tokens, they are then able to use the tokens to purchase “goods” in which they have interests in. Just given a child praise for waiting to be called on won’t be as effective as given the child praise paired with a token. The child then has autonomy and choice in how they will use/spend their tokens.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I feel like situations which are academically based would be most effective. In a classroom, if the students are emitting unruly behaviors, a token economy based behavior modification can still give the students freedom, but then reward them for emitting the desirable behaviors. I also think token economies would work best in late elementary and middle school. I feel like giving this age group tokens would be more effective than doing the same type of behavior modification with high school students.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I feel like with severely disabled children token economies might not work as well. I worked at AEA 267 River Hills in Cedar Falls last summer and the students attending this school suffer from a wide range of disabilities. I worked in the room with the youngest children. The teacher in this classroom tries implementing token economies, but the students didn’t really understand the point of it. Also, I feel like with older individuals it might not be as effective unless the rewards were based on money or maybe extra credit for college students.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
One token economy I am currently under is at my job at the mall. I work as a fashion consultant, and when I sell a certain amount of clothes, I am rewarded with a sticker. Once I get 15 stickers, I am allowed to get an item in the store for free (it has to be under $15 in value, otherwise I just pay the difference). This is a very effective token economy because I love clothes, especially free clothes! However, I am not a type of fashion consultant who bombards customers and makes them uncomfortable. If someone doesn’t want to buy anything I am not pushy. With the right amount of luck though, I tend to get a lot of stickers
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy is an economy in which individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers. These tokens can really be anything that can be exhanged for a better reinforcement down the road.
2) Do you think they are useful?
I think that token economies are pretty useful in the sense that if you don't exactly know what would reinforce someone you can use a token that represents multiple reinforcers to the desired target behavior.
3)What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
As I said before token economies would be most effective if you were not sure of the reinforcers needed to make the target behavior more frequent.
4)What situation do you feel would be least effective?
I feel that the situation that would be least effective would be if the person that you are trying to reinforce wants reinforcement right away rather than taking a token and getting their reinforcement later could be problematic.
5)Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
The token economy that I am under, and everyone else, would be the currency token economy. The reason I say this is that money really is nothing by itself until we take the token of money and cash it in for reinforcement.
After emitting the behavior of reading the required text I am able to answer the criteria provided. The first question asks, “What is a token economy?” A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers, according to the text. It goes on to explain that in order for a token economy to be successful a person must be reinforced for increasing their behavior. This is a concept that we have been learning for quite awhile in Behavior Modification. Being reinforced as opposed to being punished has been shown to be more effective in many circumstances. A few common forms for a token is plastic or metal circular chips, marks on a blackboard, stars, punch cards, happy faces and so on. “Do you think they are useful?” Yes. I believe token economies can be useful and beneficial. For example, if a person has a punch card to a coffee shop and after buying 9 drinks they receive a drink for free, they are happy and so is business. This works in the customers favor because they are receiving a pleasurable consequence to the coffee buying behavior they have been emitting. The coffee shop owners are also pleased because typically a person may only buy coffee once and awhile, but since they have a punch card they are more likely to stop back and gain punches to ultimately receive their all mighty free drink. What I just said pretty much answered the next question which is “what situations do you feel they would be most effective and why.” The next questions asks “What situations do I feel these would be least effective and why?” In my opinion, token economies would not be very beneficial when it comes to certain personality types. Which there isn’t exactly a lot you can do about that situation except try to modify the program to be somewhat desirable to many different people. Token economies may be more difficult to implement among teenagers and young adults because many things seem like a joke, such as receiving a smiley face sticker as a positive consequence for performing a behavior correctly. The last question asks “are there are token economies I feel that I am currently under?” I am under the token economy of Pita Pit. Every time I emit the behavior of buying food from that restaurant I have my card scanned in order to add up points and eventually receive a free sandwich.
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system where tokens are administered after the emitting of the target behavior and are later exchanged for reinforcements. For example, when a student emits a good/target behavior they will be given a plastic coin. Once the student acquires a sufficient amount of coins they can exchange those coins for a chance to be first in line for lunch. Being first in line would serve as a reinforcer for that student.
2) Do you think they are useful? Why?
Yes I think that implementing a token economy is useful in eliciting target behaviors from others. The token economy system fits in perfectly with the ABC’s, which we have already proven to be efficient in modifying behavior. I think that using tokens creates more anticipation for the real reinforcer, which will keep people interested. I also think that token economies are useful because if done correctly they are very consistent. The tokens serve as a easy way to keep track of somebodies behavior, it almost serves as a way to record your behavior; instead of keeping a journal, give out tokens. If you set up a specific reinforcement plan, such as 5 tokens results in the student being aloud to go first in the lunch line, you will have a consistent system.
3) What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I think the token economy would be most effective when used with young children. Specifically when the tokens can be exchanged for toys or special privileges such as moving to the front of the line. In this case the reinforcer in the token economy system as a whole should be simple, not too confusing. Also in situations where kids are involved I think that it would be even more reinforcing to have a board that keeps track of how each student is doing. That way kids are more motivated to do well. This creates a kind of competition among the kids, which is controlled could actually increase the effectiveness of the token economy. I think the token economy would also be effective among adults, however the reinforcer would have to be different. When dealing with adults I think it would be best to have money play a part as the reinforcer. Not necessarily by giving money away to people who emit the target behavior but more in the sense that you can save money if you emit the target behavior. Many places use this kind of token economy. For example, many stores have rewards cards; the more you buy today the more you’ll save later on you rewards card. Or punch cards for pop or coffee are also ways that people can save money by emitting desired behaviors.
4) What situation do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
Token economies would be less effective when emitted among criminals. I feel like they would not be elicited to participate. I can’t really think of an age where token economies wouldn’t be effective. As long as you adjust the token and the reinforcement to fit the age of the individual tokens economies would be beneficial. When implementing a token economy among individuals with high behavioral disorders I think they might try to beat the system by counterfeiting the tokens.
5) Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
The most frequent form of token economy that I come across is punch cards. I have a wallet full of punch cards for various establishments. The problem with punch cards is that I have so many and I can never find the right card when I need it. Another type of token economy that I’m a part of is a rewards card at Panera Bread and Barnes and Nobles. The more I spend the more savings I get on future purchases.
What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and later can be exchanged by the individual for backup reinforcers. In order for token economies to be successful the individual must emit a behavior of increasing or decreasing existing behaviors. Tokens and reinforcers can come in many different forms and should be based on the individuals’ needs.
Do you think they are useful? Why?
Overall, yes, I believe that token economies are useful. People thrive off of being reinforced for their behaviors. All around the world, people emit behaviors of doing things they do not enjoy (going to work) but they continue to emit those behaviors because they are rewarded (being paid). In the example of working, money is a reinforcement that can be used for a hundred different things. Having the liberty to use one’s hard earned cash on whatever is pleasing to them is an extremely powerful drive for individuals to increase good behaviors (going to work on time) and decrease undesirable behaviors (skipping work or leaving early). This is just one example in the millions of examples of why individuals get such a thrill from being reinforced for their behaviors.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I believe that younger children, in preschool or elementary level would be the most effective setting for a token economy. Little kids are very responsive to the idea of being rewarded for their behaviors. Younger children love praise and that’s initially what a token economy is all about, reinforcing and praising an individual for their hard work. At this age the children are also learning better behaviors without even realizing that they are doing so. If you make the token economy more like a game or competition, they will feed off of each other’s energy and the activity will be highly successful. Supplies for this age would be pretty inexpensive and there are numerous ways to represent a “token bank account”. I think it is very important at this age for the students to be able to view their standings in comparison to their classmates at all times.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective?
The high school stage would be a good example of where a token economy may not be very effective. In high school, the majority of the students aren’t all that concerned with impressing the teacher and are more concerned with fitting in and making friends. Another potential problem with high school students is that they expect more as their reinforcers. Where as in elementary, recess time, stickers, candy, snacks, pencils, etc. all serve as inexpensive reinforcers for them. Many of these items would not be appealing to high school students. In some high school classes the token economy could be effective but from my experience in many high school classes the goal is to put forth as minimal amount of effort as possible just to pass the class and get out. With this mentality, the token economy would not serve its purpose.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
Currently, I am under a token economy involving rewards cards/ punch cards. I have a wide variety from food vendors such as Pancheros to clothing stores such as American Eagle. For example, at Pancheros, I have a punch card in which every time I emit the behavior of buying something that has their tortilla with it, I get a punch on my card. When I get 10 punches I get a free burrito which is very reinforcing to me considering they are delicious and kind of pricey for a college kid. Another example is my American Eagle “all access pass”. In this case, every time I emit the behavior of purchasing an item, I can scan my pass and will receive discounts in the mail. The more I buy, the bigger the discounts. Although, both of these behaviors are something that I would most likely emit the behavior of doing every once in a while, it is very exciting for me to know that I am being reinforced for my behaviors and thus increases the frequency of my behavior.
A token economy is the use of “tokens” as positive reinforcers. The tokens can be used to get “back up reinforcers.” I believe these procedures would be quite helpful in bringing out wanted behaviors. We used this process in high school basketball. For every five assists you had you got a sticker on your poster, every five points you had, you got a sticker, etc. This process works because it motivates the individuals to strive for more than just the common goal. This procedure can also bring about competition in the individuals participating, therefore increasing their behaviors even further. I believe these would be most effective in a group or team setting. They add a competitive edge to the situation; as opposed to using them in a situation where the individuals participating do not know each other or interact with each other, which is where I feel these would be least effective. This would not be effective because they would not be reminded quite as often that they are yearning to earn these reinforcers. A token economy is merely our regular economy; we earn money every day to use to earn us other reinforcers. Our grading system in college is also a token economy because our grades are used as tokens into higher level courses, better jobs, and possibly grad school.
Token economy is when an individual is reinforced for emitting a behavior through tokens. These tokens, after so many, can be exchanged for rewards or back up reinforcers. These tokens must be used to increase or decrease an existing behavior. I think that token economy is useful, especially when it comes to young children. It may be easier to discipline children not only in the classroom, but at home as well to emit a desired behavior. Children are often entertained with the idea of getting something for emitting a behavior, especially if they can trade that something for something better. Another example of when this is used is with punch cards, coupons, etc. Usually when you emit the behavior of shopping at a certain store or using a certain credit card or coupon you end up getting points or punches. These punches normally add up to you being reinforced by getting a free product or a percentage off of something. This will make you want to emit the behavior of shopping more often if you can get something you really want for less. While this can be useful when it comes to adults there is also the factor that adults are much more conscious of what is going on and can be resistant if they do not really want to emit the desired behavior. A situation that I would find this to be least effective in would be if the person has figured out a way around the system. As stated in the article, the person could simply build up tokens, and then not continue emitting the desired behavior until they need more tokens. It could also be less effective when the backup reinforcers aren’t something that the person is interested in getting. If the reinforcer for getting a certain credit card isn’t something I’m interested in then I’m most likely not going to use that credit card. A specific example of token economy in my life would be when I go shopping in American Eagle. If I use my rewards card then I receive points for every dollar spent. After I get so many points I am allowed to get 15%, 20%, etc off of my purchase depending on how many points I save up.
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers. In order for a token economy to be successful and person must always be reinforced for increasing or decreasing an existing behavior.
I do think that token economies can be, and are, very successful. People thrive off of rewards, and without them it would be difficult for motivation. This works even more with children than it does adults. Adults have a set attitude about what is expected or not expected of them. A child can't make these same predictions about a behavior and therefore it is even more exciting and reinforcing when a child emits the appropriate behavior that will leave them with a reward. I believe that these are useful because people would not be motivated without them. There would be no prompting or a common goal to work towards, thus making life and the task at hand boring.
The first situation that comes to my mind that a token economy would be successful in is initially teaching children manners. Children like rewards, and that would make them want to elicit the behavior more efficiently in a lot of cases. Since all young children are basically the same in the first stages of their lives, the token economy of rewards such as gold stickers or a piece of candy would work almost equally for all of them.
The situation that I feel would work the least with a token economy is with older teenagers to adults in the school and work setting. In high school and college, kids are so different that a certain reinforcer may be good for one person, but not at all effective for the other when trying to reach a target behavior. As for work, people react differently than each other when it comes to praise and shame. One person in the work setting may take criticism differently than another, as well as taking praise differently. There is no way to reinforce every one the same.
The first token economy in which I am under is at Panera Bread. Each time I come into Panera Bread and use my Panera card, I can earn points to receive a free pastry or smoothie. Also, I am getting ready to pay my taxes on my car. If I pay them prior to the due date, I will not be penalized. If I pay them after the due date, I will be penalized a certain percentage of the original price.
1. What is a token economy
A token economy is a system in which individuals reinforce a target behavior in an exchange for a token. Tokens are used later for backup reinforcers, but in order to give out a token the person must emit a decrease or increase of a desired behavior.
2. Do you think they are useful? Why?
I believe that a token economy is a great tool to use because it uses the idea of sub reinforcers. It would increase the desired behavior because it is giving accountability to one another especially for small children who enjoy material things. They also use this token in many different ways as well to promote one ’s self as well like saving money or discounts with punch cards.
3. What situations do you think they will be most effective?
The class room would be a great place for the token system as kids with more stars or stickers on their name tag or paper in very reinforcing. It also elicits the other students to try and earn their own tokens with little kids. Older students could use these tokens as well to hold each other accountable with rewards because who really doesn’t like presents?
4. What situations do you think would be the least effective?
I believe the least effective place for a token economy is in a college setting as everyone has their own idea of a good reward and they may not take it seriously. The key is to make it broad enough to where everyone can enjoy it, but not specific enough to where only a select few can see the real benefit of the token.
5. Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I know I have a few different punch cards to earn a free drink or sub at different places. I also am in an internship to recruit individuals as not only as a benefit for yourself, but bragging rights as well.
1. What is a token economy?
It is a system where emitting a target behavior causes the subject to receive a token of some kind that can be traded for a reinforcer when a certain number of tokens have been collected. Every time the behavior is emitted a token is received so it is a strong but cheap way to reinforce a behavior since a real reinforcer is not always used.
2. Do you think token economies are effective and why?
Token economies can be very effective but only in the right situations. I don’t token economies are strong enough to effect decisions in radical ways or impact our lives significantly but they can play a small role.
3. What situations would they be most effective?
Token economies would be most effective in two situations: When we are deciding between two very close competitors or identical products and if we are young or mentally handicapped. Token economies can’t shift people views or modify their behaviors past the extent of the strength of the eventual reinforcer. The young or mentally handicapped are more easily accepting of token economies and find interest in collecting the tokens as well as the reinforcer.
4. When would token economies be least effective?
It would be least effective when trying to influence someone on a major decision that affects their life or the lives of people around them. Like I said earlier a token economy is only as effective the reinforcer used and no token economy I know of uses a reinforcer strong enough to sway the average person’s feelings on strong issues or life choices.
5. Can I think of any token economy I am under now?
I really hate punch cards and I have given up on them. I cannot think of any token economy that I am under. My family doesn’t have one and I don’t shop enough to use one.
1. What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system that uses tokens to change the frequency of certain target behaviors. Tokens are presented to the individual/group whenever they emit desirable target behaviors or decrease the frequency of certain target behaviors. These tokens can then be exchanged for other reinforcers. Before implementing a token economy, target behaviors need to be defined and reinforcers need to be established.
2. Do you think they are useful? Why?
Yes, if implemented properly, they can be highly effective in increasing or decreasing target behaviors. In order for the token economy to be useful, the reinforcers need to be desired greatly by the individual. If the reinforcers aren’t reinforcing to the individual, the individual may refuse to change his/her behaviors.
3. What situations do you think they will be most effective?
I believe that it would be easier to manipulate children’s behaviors with a token economy in a school setting. Children find small, cheap objects reinforcing whereas adults may require more expensive or valuable reinforcers. A school setting also provides the opportunity for competition and constant praise or recognition. Other group settings may elicit competition which will motivate individuals to try hard.
4. What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
Token economies probably aren’t very effective when an individual tries to implement one for himself. In this situation, it wouldn’t be effective because they are lacking competition and support from others. As stated in the article, it is important to praise the individual/group as well as reinforce them with tokens. An individual reinforcing himself still needs praise and acceptance from others. In this situation, it is also easier to cheat because the individual has control over his/her reinforcers.
5. What token economies are you currently under?
Currently, I am partaking in several token economies. I am an avid shopper, so whenever I purchase items, I receive punches on a card. When the card is full, I receive a free article of clothing. The punches are my tokens, and the free article of clothing is the bonus reinforcer! In college I also receive tokens in the form of points. Whenever I get answers right or come to class, I receive points. The more points I receive, the better the great I will earn which will help me get into grad school. Token economies are present in everyday life and can be highly effective in altering behaviors.
1.) What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system where something, a token, represents a unit of value (which is easily measured and quantifiable) that can be exchanged for an item or service equal to the value of tokens exchanged. It serves as a reinforcement technique to reach specific target behaviors.
2.) Do you think they are useful? Why?
I believe that token economies are successful. Even though it doesn't work 100% of the time, I think it's safe to say that the majority of the time, it proves to be successful in reinforcing the increase or decrease of a behavior. Token economies are successful because it's easier to gradually be reinforced rather than waiting for a reinforcement at the end or after you've worked on a specific behavior. Even though tokens may not seem like much, it's easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you can accurately measure your progress. When a person can visualize and quantify their hard work, it gives them a strongly structured basis and pathway to reach their goal.
3.) What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I believe token economies are not suited for every situation where we're trying to reach a target goal. However, they will work best in situations where the reinforcement is most desirable. If a reinforcer is something that someone is not particularly interested in, striving for tokens will not be their main priority. They will become disinterested and eventually discontinue their efforts to receive tokens. Therefore, token economies work best when we can keep the people engaged and interested in order to reach a certain goal.
4.) What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
To the effect of my previous answer, token economies are least effective in situations where children or adults are not motivated to earn tokens. More specifically, I feel as if token economies are least effective for adults. Adults, in contrast to children, are less motivated by tokens. It's difficult to ascribe to the different needs and wants of adults, seeing as everyone leads very unique lifestyles. In contrast, children are much easier to apply token economies to. I feel as if most children are under a very similar mind frame until late middle school years, as opposed to teenagers and adults, who develop distinct ideas and beliefs about their environment - which makes it difficult to ascribe general tokens to such a diverse population.
5.) Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
Plenty. I have numerous "Buy So Many Things and Get the Next One Free" punch cards for restaurants, coffee shops, and also clothing stores. Also, we use a sticker system at my job based on our sales at the end of the night. For a specific amount of sales, you get a sticker on a board next to your name, and if you get so many, my boss will give a reward.
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy is when a target behavior if reinforced with “tokens” like punches or coins and they can later be turn in for a greater reinforcer. For example child could be given a token every time they follow the set rules and when they have 30 tokens they get to play with a friend.
2) Do you think they are useful? Why?
I think that token economy can be useful because they are helpful in modifying behaviors with reinforcement and they also teach children to be goal oriented and to work for what they want. I think that it all just depends on how you set up the token economy.
3) What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I think that a token economy would be most effective when you have an appealing reinforcer that appropriately fits the different individual and when you have individuals that actively want to participate in the token economy because it can’t work if the person doesn’t care about the reinforcer and doesn’t want to emit the appropriate behavior for the “token”.
4) What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think that a token economy can be effective in pretty much every situation as long as you have the things that I listed in the previous question. If you have a group of people that don’t really care about the “token” reinforcer because it does not appeal to them then the token economy isn’t going to be very effective.
5) Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I am currently under some token economies such as a punch card and a rewards card. I have a punch card for the mauker union and after so many drinks I get a free one. I also have a punch card for the clothing store maurices and after 10 punches I get a set amount off of my next purchase. I have a rewards card for different places and they collect points that you can trade in for money down the road and at some places you get coupons for free things when you buy something. These types of things increase the frequency of me shopping at these places because I am being positively reinforced.
1. What is a token economy?
A token economy is most simply a specific way of reinforcing a target behavior. When a target behavior is achieved, tokens will be emitted. Said tokens may be accumulated and used later to achieve a larger, desired reinforcer. Every time an individual does part of the target behavior they may receive a token until they eventually achieve both the target behavior regularly and have enough tokens to gain a larger or more desired reinforcer. If the practice/idea of a token economy is to work successfully, they must elicit a reinforcing behavior every time an individual increases or decreases the target behavior (according to whatever is desired) or gets close to achieving the target behavior
2. Do you think they are useful? Why?
Tokens are useful because they help to prevent satiation as well as they are not a big reward that will completely satisfy an individual. Tokens are more like bite sized candy bars as opposed to the King Sized ones. A token economy is useful in that it elicits and effect on how frequent a desired behavior may occur. A token economy is especially useful when working with children and animals because they enjoy positive short, quick reinforcing responses.
3. What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I believe that tokens are most effective when reinforcing young children. For example, children will compete with one another simple to receive a gold, sticker star. They feel good about receiving all sorts of small tokens that add up to show how “good” they were. Anything that a child can receive for being good is a token that makes them want to continue doing the behavior. In the end, even if the big reinforcer is only bragging rights, children will still emit “good” behavior to receive this honor. I feel like adults would want more than just a pat on the back or bragging rights. Gold stars just don’t mean as much as a financial raise on their pay check or maybe fewer responsibilities or time off. A token economy is probably more effective for someone that doesn’t have extremely high standards or wants the big reward NOW.
4. What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
A token economy is likely to elicit less effectiveness when dealing with toddlers or the elderly. Also, as I just stated, it may be less effective when an individual doesn’t want or desire the token. Like I said in question 3 adults are likely not as excited about receiving stickers of gold stars as they would be to receive money. In the case of toddlers and the elderly, they may not have the patients to collect tokens that don’t mean much to them. Most likely they would rather an instant reward that they don’t have to wait around while collecting tokens and continually doing a behavior for. With a toddler, they may not understand what all a token means. It may be more difficult to grasp the concept that many little things add up to one big thing. It may be better to reinforce them with something that doesn’t require accumulation over time.
5. Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I emit the behavior of using the punch cards at chats. Every time I get a hot beverage at chats, I get a punch in my card or a token. After acquiring so many punches/tokens I get reinforced for earning those punches/tokens with a free hot beverage. Also, in rugby I suppose that I receive a token every time I catch the ball. The token is praise as my team mates applaud and cheer me on. The overall reinforcement is that the more I catch the ball the more praise I get from my teammates, and the more they will trust me on the field and pass me the ball. The reinforcement for catching the ball is that my team does well and I look good by displaying talent. Punch cards and catches are both examples of tokens that add up to a greater reinforcer. A token economy would not work well for someone with little patients.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors where tokens are given and later exchanged for another reinforcer. This can only happen if the person is changing (increasing or decreasing) a behavior. After this system is in place, students will receive items that are normally worthless but in this token economy, they are reinforcing. Examples of these items would be stickers, poker chips, jelly beans in a jar, and stamps. Once enough of these have been collected, they are allowed to turn in these for a different reinforcer. The second reinforcer must be something the children enjoy doing. The token economy will not work if they are not motivated by a reinforcer they really want to be involved with.
Do you think they are useful? Why?
After emitting the reading assigned to us, my conclusion is token economies are successful if used correctly. I remember we had a system like this in elementary school. We would receive stickers for each perfect paper we produced and it would be an intense race to see who could fill their sheet up with stickers first. It definitely was a very good motivator because whoever could fill their sheet first got to pick something from a box of toys and candy. It can make students concentrate on assignments that might not be the most fun otherwise. It can also promote friendly competition.
What situations do you feel they would be most effective?
I think they would be most effective when children are in elementary school and in the classroom will be more effective than at home. Students can use other students as motivation to obtain more tokens. It can become a big pride thing when one of your friends is getting more tokens than you. It will elicit the student to become jealous and then try harder to obtain as many tokens as his or her friend. It will still work at home, but at school it will be much more successful because it will add the element of competition. At home, better reinforcers can be used because parents have more money to spend on their children when compared to teachers and students. These improved prizes can serve as a stronger reinforcer than cheap toys found in a classroom.
What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I think token economies will be least effective as the children get older. As kids approach high school, the reinforcers will not serve as reinforcing as they once did. High school kids will not work really hard for a sticker or stamp. This can work for younger children, but older children do not appreciate these reinfocers as much. Essentially, the older a person gets, the less a token economy will work in a work or school setting.
Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
The first thing that came to my mind is the Panchero’s stamp card. I am a frequent Panchero’s customer and look forward to getting my card stamped after buying the burrito. It actually is slightly reinforcing for me.
1) What is a token economy?
A token economy is a system used to either increase desired behaviors or decrease aversive behaviors. It is when you reinforce or punish behaviors by either giving out tokens when desired behaviors are emitted or taking away tokens when aversive behaviors are emitted. It is used much more often with reinforcement. It is used mostly in school settings and is also used with successive approximation. Commonly, token economies use items such as play money, beans in a jar, paperclips, gold stars, punch cards, points, etc. These tokens can be later exchanged for backup reinforcers such as toys, candy, games, free time, etc. They must be given in concurrence with praise and immediately after the desired behavior or successful approximation is emitted.
2) Do you think they are useful? Why?
I think that token economies are very useful. They allow the person or child to understand exactly what behaviors will be rewarded. It also teaches the individual about gratification delay, that they can’t and shouldn’t always get what they want right away. I think that these are helpful especially with difficult children where regular reinforcement or punishment fails. Like I mentioned, they will know exactly what behavior is expected or to be avoided. It also presents a sort of responsibility for their behavior. They are aware of how they are doing and how they can improve. People always want material objects, so even if two kids want different things, token economies allow them to both be reinforced for the behaviors to eventually choose the backup reinforcer most important to them.
3) What situations do you feel they would be most effective? Why?
I feel these are the most effective with younger children in elementary school. I think it is very effective when you have a classroom that you need to control and want to bring something fun to the environment whilst succeeding in behavior modification of a large group. It also allows the children to be more involved in the modification, which is always more effective in my opinion. It allows them to have more autonomy and they can actually help distribute the tokens to their peers. I also think they work very well with adults for shopping. I know almost every place you shop there is some sort of token economy coming into play. It makes people want to shop there more and spend more money than they would if such an economy didn’t exist. It allows them to feel like they are being treated with equality and knowledge of the system.
4) What situations do you feel they would be least effective? Why?
I feel like they would be the least effective in situations that involve low-functioning individuals, such as those with autism, mental illness, too young, etc. I think it is important for the individual to understand the context and the meaning of the tokens in order to fully appreciate it and have an effective system. I also think the individual has to have a want and need for things, especially material objects, which are the tokens. If they do not, then the tokens do not hold meaning and will probably not result in behavior modification. As with some other students, I agree high school kids may not be the best candidates for token economies, at least in school settings. They would probably think the system was stupid and there wouldn’t be a very good backup reinforcer. The only thing I could think of that would work would be to let them skip a homework assignment or something, but that could get messy.
5) Can you think of any token economies that you are currently under?
I definitely am under a couple token economies. As many other students, I am under ones such as stores with punch cards. I have punch cards for Maurices, the Lane Bryant credit card has point rewards, Chats drink cards, Pancheros, and probably several others. I think some of them work better than others. My Lane Bryant credit card has some sort of point reward program; however, I do not understand it and how many points equal what so it does not really reinforce me shopping there. I definitely use the Maurices and Pancheros cards though. The Maurices gives you a punch for every $10 you spend and when you get to 25 punches you get $10 off your next purchase. I don’t go and shop there just to get points, but it definitely is a plus when I do shop there. I go there over any other place, mostly because I have a credit card for them with a high limit. For Pancheros, you get a stamp every time you buy a burrito or quesadilla. When you get 10 your next one is free, although I just realized they forgot to give it back to me last time. I’m sure there are more, but I can’t think of them right now. They are definitely everywhere we look though and we don’t even realize it!
1.) A token economy is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers. Common forms of tokens are plastic or metal circular chips, marks on a blackboard, points marked on a paper point card, stars, holes punched in a card, stickers, paper clips, beans in a jar, happy faces, and play money. The token is given in response to a desired behavior along with verbal praise. The tokens elicit a fun or assumed financial gain, therefore getting the subject to emit the desired target behavior.
2.) I believe token economies are extremely useful in many environments starting with the elementary classroom to the retail industry. In elementary schools it often takes something more than verbal praise to elicit a desired target behavior in a child. This helps establish getting the children to emit desired target behaviors. I believe we just have to be extremely careful in deciding how the tokens are set up. Some token economies are too focused in on a monetary aspect, in turn eliciting an undesired behavior of greed. So much of our day to day life already revolves around money; we don’t need to use it to elicit desired behaviors at such an early age. In the retail or food industry a token economy works extremely well. Punch cards with “buy nine, get the tenth free” are great ways to get customers to emit a behavior of returning to the same place the next time they need that service or product.
3.) To elicit desired target behaviors, the token economies are most effective in the classroom setting. I believe they can work with any classroom setting, but I see them working best starting in the elementary settings. Younger children often need an additional motivator to get them to emit a desired behavior.
4.) I believe token economies can be effective in any environment; you just need to be aware of who you want to emit the target behavior. Handing out marbles, to be exchanged for stuffed animals at a later date, for participating in class discussion in behavior modification probably wouldn’t elicit a strong desire to do so, but would work great for a second grade reading class. Receiving extra points for attending class that can be added to your final at the end of the semester would work well to elicit a behavior of attending class in college, but would mean nearly nothing to a grade-schooler. In my experience with my job our token economy is extremely effective in eliciting guests to emit a spending behavior at our locations.
5.) A current token economy I am under is at my work. We have a system that elicits both the employee and the common guest to dine and drink at our locations by the use of a points card. With the employee, you are given a certain percentage off at any location depending on your job code. This percentage can range from twenty to forty percent discount. Having this discount will elicit the employees to emit a behavior of spending money with our company rather than the competition. The case is similar with the guest; each guest can sign up for a rewards card in which each time they emit a behavior of spending one dollar, they receive one point on their card. When the card reaches two hundred points it turns into ten dollars, which is then treated like a gift card. Again, this is used to elicit the guests into emitting a spending behavior at our locations versus the completion.
1. A token economy is a system that directly uses reinforcers to increase or decrease certain behaviors in the classroom. In the token economy, different items can be used to represent their form of currency. Certain behaviors gain the students some of the currency which can be represented with plastic chips pennies or other small objects. In turn, the students can trade their currency for a specific privelege such as extra computer time or standing first in line. The reward system is what is going to cause the students to emit target behaviors.
2. Token economies can be useful in most situations because unlike most school or work environments, they focus on rewards and not punishment. As long as the reward system is standard and all of the involved parties see it as being fair to them, it can work.
3. The token economy system would be most effective for small children in the classroom because for one, it is teaching desired behaviors and using rewards to attain them. Children love rewards even if they sound trivial to that same individual years later. Since there are rewards invovled, the children could potentially find fun in the token economy.
4. I dont think the token environment would be as effective in high paying jobs where the job functions vary such as a professional sports team. When an individual gets their pay because of a contract, that increases the liklihood of becoming selfish and so giving a player rewards even though they are already guaranteed pay would be less effective than when everyone is on the same page like students.
5. My job has some likenesses of a token econmony because they have some reward systems. One example is that if a person does somthing above and beyond their job or helps another person with theirs, they may receive a card. Turning in this card puts them in a drawing. If their name gets drawn, they get a reserved parking spot in the front of the lot and their name is even put on the parking place to show that its reserved.