TOKEN ECONOMY

• TEPS used to obtain desirable behaviour in closed institutions
• Behaviour of prisoners and aggressive offenders on communisty orders can be changed using OC - Skinners box
• Perfomance of desired behaviours is possitively reinforced with tokens
• Tokens can be saved up and exhanged for goods or priveledges
  e.g. watching TV
• PUNISHMENT e.g. isolation
  Used to reduce frequency of non desired behaviour i.e. aggression
• REINFORCEMENT
  Leads to increase in frequency of acceptable behaviours
• PUNISHMENT
  Aims to decrease frequency of unacceptable ones

Important clear deifintions of

• What is desired behaviour
• What is a token
• How are tokens allocated
• What is a reward Free time/TV/Exercise
• How will there be agradual changing of the giving of tokens to shape the behaviour
• How many tokens for each reward
• How the reward will be removed once behaviour is achieved
  Replace token withh praise over time = Continuous/Partial Reinforcement
  Stimulus: Reward
  Respone: Good behaviour
  
  

  The TEP rule must be obeyed by everyone in the same way

• Staff not committed to the programme
• Inconsistent rewards given for same behaviour
  Different views on behaviour
• Failure to plan for transferring to the home environemnt OR
  any environment outside the institution
• Doesn't know what happens when they leave

• Needs to be no delay between desired behaviour and reward
• Anyone can given tokens
  Tokens/rewards cheap
• Clear rules mena staff know when to away token, so programme relatively easy to administer
• Sucessful in changing specific behaviours under controlled conditions
  (Hobbs and Halt)
• Economical and staff require little training in order to administer the tokens
• Rewards more ethical way of modifying behaviour than punishment
• Found to be successful by many studies, even though there tends to be 10-20% of people who dont respond well to TEPS
• Millan and Ayllon used TE successfully with prisoners suggesting it can be effective

Recorded effects of introducting a TE to young delinquents across 3 small institutional units
Fourth unit acted as control
Tokens given for behaviour
E.g. obeying rules, doing chores properly, co- operative social interactions, queing for meals
Programme showed significant increase in targeted behaviours compaired to group NOT involved in programme

• Few long term studies have been done to see long term effects of programme once individual released from prison
• Ethical issues may arise as institutions have the power to deprive privileges that others may see as rights
  e.g. phone
  May be seen to be enforcing change against prioners wills
• Deprive human rights as no right to withdraw
• Learning may not transfer to other situations
  e.g. home situations
  Might be recidivism
  Reinforced behaviour required in prison but may not be suitable once prison released
• Only temporarily alter performance of aggressive behaviours
  Don't tackle cause of violent tendencies
• Programmes have to carefully planned and controlled
  There are many areas where problems can occur
  (such as lack of consistency from staff)

• Ross and Mackay found deterioration in behaviour of dlinquent girls on TEP
  Technique not always effective