Token economy: who responds how?

Abstract

Token economy programs (TEP) can successfully modify a variety of specific and generalized behaviors in clinical populations (Gripp and Magaro, 1974). but this general success is offset by the frequent occurrence of individual nonresponsiveness (Kazdin. 1973), Two solutions to the problem of nonresponsiveness have been proposed. One proposal regards the nonresponder as needing intensified training with behavioral methods while the other suggests that the operant paradigm may be inappropriate or inefficient with such patients. In either case, it would be helpful to identify potential nonresponders before or shortly after their introduction to a TEP in order that alternative treatments or pretraining might be developed to suit them while reserving the TEP for those who could derive maximum benefit from it. However, little consistent relationship between individual responsiveness and other patient-related characteristics has been found upon which to base such judgements. The present research examined the changes in response to treatment over time of a TEP population and its component diagnostic groups with the hypothesis that distinct and unique patterns of response would be associated with the diagnostic groups and that the patterns would be different from that shown by the total group.