Jamie, who lives in a home for the intellectually disabled, is able to earn points for getting dressed, maintaining personal hygiene, and engaging in appropriate social interactions. These points can be exchanged for access to desirable items or special privileges. This example illustrates the use of:
Social Studies · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
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The scenario described with Jamie illustrates the use of a token economy system. A token economy is a form of behavior modification method used to change behavior. In this system, Jamie earns tokens (which can be points or any kind of symbolic items) for exhibiting desirable behaviors – getting dressed, maintaining personal hygiene, and engaging in appropriate social interactions in this case. These tokens act as a form of secondary reinforcement; they are not inherently valuable, but they can be exchanged for something that is of value to Jamie, such as desirable items or special privileges. The token economy system is based on the principles of operant conditioning, specifically the concept of positive reinforcement.