A token economy is a strategy often used to increase the frequency of a socially appropriate behavior by providing tokens or other symbols of currency immediately in response to the behavior. These tokens can then be exchanged at a later time for other, more specific, desirable rewards. This entry describes the implementation and usage of token economies, including the settings and populations for which its use has been demonstrated as effective. To do so, a background of its relation to the principles of applied behavior analysis, contingency management, and the use of reinforcers are also described.

Background

A token economy is a positive reinforcement system imbedded in applied behavior analysis that utilizes two levels of reinforcement in response to desired behaviors. Briefly, applied behavior analysis strives ...

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