Token economies are among the oldest and most successful teaching programs in applied behavior analysis. Unlike other successful technologies in behavior analysis, however, there has been little meaningful contact between the science of token reinforcement and applications of the science. Despite a half-century of applied work on token economies, surprisingly little is known about the variables responsible for their effectiveness; they are rarely based on an understanding of the basic principles involved, or on the latest research. My aim in this presentation is to bridge the gap between research and application, by providing evidence-based recommendations and practical guidelines for application of token reinforcement methods. I will address issues related both to setting up a token economy from scratch and to maintaining it once it has been established. I will focus on best practices related to: (a) establishing tokens as reinforcers, (b) maintaining behavior through scheduling of token reinforcers, (c) generalizing the functions of tokens, and (d) the motivational and economic contexts in which the teaching programs are embedded. Although token economies have proven generally effective across a range of settings and populations, they could be even more effective when based on what is known about token reinforcement from both laboratory and applied settings. Thus, apart from specific recommendations, I hope to show the benefits of an integrated evidence-based approach to the application of token reinforcement principles in educational and clinical settings.
Learning Objectives
- The participant will be able to identify the three main components of a token economy.
- The participant will be able to distinguish between specific and generalized reinforcers.
- The participant will be able to identify the two main behavioral functions of tokens.
About the Presenter
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Token economies are useful tools for behavior analysts. It's so important to sharpen your skills on the framework before putting it to practice. Dr. Hackenberg is extremely knowledgeable in this area. Thank you!
From understanding the start of implementing a token economy, to understanding the science behind it, this was a great course.
Very helpful tutorial for practioners on how to use what has been learned about tokens in the basic research in our practice. I appreciate the information about further resources targeted at the same audience. Thank you for bringing this to Behavior University.
Just when you think you know everything about token economies... think again. This course provided insight to parts of token economies I never considered. Thank you!
Course information
- Title: Everything you ever wanted to know about token economies
- Presenter: Tim Hackenberg Ph.D.
- Date: Wednesday, August 21st, 2024
- CEUs: 2 Learning
- Time: 9:00 AM Pacific
- Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Customer Rating: (42)