Token economy AQA psychology schizophrenia

What behavioural therapy technique is token economy based on?

Skinner's operant conditioning

Where should a token economy be used, and who on?

In a hospital setting, o patients with mild negative symptoms

What is the objective of token economy?

Manage behaviour of patients, specifically negative symptoms

Tokens are the…..enforcer

Secondary

How does a token economy work?

Patients carry out a desirable behaviour that has been targeted for reinforcement. May be getting dressed in the morning, making the bed, brushing teeth e.g. they receive tokens that can be exchanged for a desirable thing.

Research to support usefulness of token economies

Dickerson - reviewed 13 studies of the use of token economy systems in the treatment of schizophrenia. 11 of these studies had reported beneficial effects that were directly attributable to the use of token economies.

Research to oppose effectiveness of token economies

Dickerson - 2/13 studies didnt show evidence that token economies were effective

How can token economies cater to individual differences (+study)

Sran & Borrero (2010) compared behaviours reinforced by tokens that could be exchanged for one single highly preferred edible item with tokens that could be exchanged for a variety of preferred edible items. They found that all ppts had higher rates of responding in those sessions where tokens could be exchanged for a variety of items. This could be because it increased the likelihood that the item acted as a reward. Everyone is different, what some people find rewarding others do not. This makes token economy more useful because it can target individual needs, increasing its effectiveness in reducing negative symptoms.

Practical issues with token economy

Rosenhan sane in insane places showed nurses do not spend much time with each patient, so they could miss behaviours, so lack of consistent reinforcement.

Ethical concerns with token economy and usefulness

Could reinforce the patients to withhold or hide their schizophrenic symptoms and it treats patients like lab rats. The fact that we learn about this in forensic psychology also highlights some issues with the image it portrays of schizophrenic patients. In addition, token economy is not a treatment, it addresses the symptoms rather than the cause.

Why is a token economy not completely generalisable?

token economy can only be used on individuals with mild symptoms and therefore this treatment not only has poor success but also poor generalisability.