A comparison of token and tandem schedules of reinforcement on response patterns for adolescents with autism

Abstract

Token schedules of reinforcement are ubiquitous in clinical settings, yet little research has thoroughly evaluated the effects of token schedules on responding in clinical settings. Basic research has shown token schedules of reinforcement produce lower response rates and larger pre-ratio pauses compared to tandem schedules. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the same effects are produced with adolescents with autism or related disorders. We examined response patterns under otherwise identical FR token and FR tandem schedules. Tokens suppressed responding for one participant only under high schedule values and for a second participant under common clinical schedule values; no difference in responding occurred between token and tandem schedules for two participants. These results support the systematic evaluation of token schedules of reinforcement in clinical settings. Additional applied research is needed on token schedules to further our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the overall effectiveness of token economies. K E Y W O R D S autism, fixed-ratio schedule, tandem schedule, token economy, token schedule

Using an App-Based Token Economy to Increase Engagement in Daily Living and Vocational Tasks with Adults with Developmental Disabilities

“…Fifth, we did not collect generalization probes to assess whether or not the token economy increased engagement across different activities or settings. Finally, we used only fixed ratio-schedules during the intervention, which increases the risk of pausing and challenging behavior with increasing ratio values (Glodowski et al, 2020 ). Given the relatively low ratios used in the current study (i.e., FR1 to FR6), this may not have been a likely outcome.…”