Token Economies: Using Basic Experimental Research to Guide Practical Applications

Common Practices used to Establish and Implement Token Economies in Clinical and Instructional Settings: A Survey of BACB Certificants

Token economies are among the most widely used procedures in behavior analysis and research on token economies has spanned over 80 years. Several textbooks have outlined the essential components of token economies and suggested how they can be trained and implemented in practice. However, procedures evaluated in applied research can vary from how those procedures are implemented in clinical practice. It is conceivable that the way in which token economies are implemented in clinical settings does not resemble the procedures described in research and behavior analytic textbooks. We surveyed 255 board certified behavior analysts and board certified assistant behavior analysts about their commonly used practices when training and implementing token economies with individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Results suggest that certain aspects of token economies in practice often bear only superficial resemblance to how they are described in textbooks.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-023-00800-5.

Pavlovian learning and conditioned reinforcement

Conditioned reinforcers are widely used in applied behavior analysis. Basic research evidence reveals that Pavlovian learning plays an important role in the acquisition and efficacy of new conditioned-reinforcer functions. Thus, a better understanding of Pavlovian principles holds the promise of improving the efficacy of conditioned reinforcement in applied research and practice. This paper surveys how (and if) Pavlovian principles are presented in behavior-analytic textbooks; imprecisions and knowledge gaps within contemporary Pavlovian empirical findings are highlighted. Thereafter, six practical principles of Pavlovian conditioning are presented along with empirical support and knowledge gaps that should be filled by applied and translational behavior-analytic researchers. Innovative applications of these principles are outlined for research in language acquisition, token reinforcement, and self-control.

Adapting Direct Services for Telehealth: A Practical Tutorial

Due to the pandemic brought on by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), consumers of applied behavior-analytic interventions may be experiencing disrupted access to services. In response to the need for services, behavior analysts and therapists may find themselves treading unchartered waters as they use telehealth to provide direct intervention to consumers. Direct service provision via telehealth extends beyond the bounds of existing telehealth research, which primarily focuses on caregiver training and consultation. In the transition to telehealth, behavior analysts can consider how to adapt an existing evidence base of behavior-analytic strategies from a face-to-face format to intervention via a teleconferencing platform (i.e., Zoom). In this tutorial, we provide practice recommendations, task analyses, and a curated list of Zoom walk-throughs to help behavior analysts construct conceptually systematic learning opportunities in their direct telehealth services. Leveraging teleconferencing features to provide behavior-analytic intervention directly to consumers could spur future research to support these need-inspired practices and guide telehealth applications during and beyond the current pandemic.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-020-00529-5.

Implementation of a Behavioral Intervention in a Juvenile Detention Center: Do Individual Characteristics Matter?

A sample of 129 (73% male) youth admitted consecutively into a juvenile detention center were used to examine individual characteristics that contribute the implementation of a behavioral intervention within a juvenile detention center. Given that a system of rewards and punishments is considered the mechanism of change within many behavioral interventions, individuals risk characteristics (i.e., proactive and reactive aggression, behavioral inhibition, subsystems of behavioral activation, callous-unemotional traits, perceived containment) were examined in relation to the rewards (i.e., positive feedback) and punishments (i.e., fines) used by the facility. Data were collected via structured interviews with youth and archival data. The number of days youth spent in detention was the only predictor of positive feedback received. Number of days in detention, sex, and race were related to fines. Behavioral activation drive was the only individual characteristic related to fines. Implications of findings are discussed.