token economy
Behavioral incentive program
A token economy is a behavioral system where participants earn tokens—points, chips, or other markers—for desired behaviors, then exchange them for rewards.
Common in psychiatric hospitals, prisons, classrooms, and addiction treatment programs: The ward uses a token economy where patients earn privileges by following rules.
The concept draws from operant conditioning, reinforcing behavior through systematic incentives.
Consequence increasing behavior
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- operantProducing an effect
- behaviorismPsychology studying observable conduct
- SkinnerBehaviorism's leading theorist
contingency · schedule · response · consequence · shaping · extinction · punishment · discriminative
Of mental health treatment
- inpatientAdmitted overnight patient
- residentialRelating to housing
- group homeSupervised shared residence
- self-careMaintaining personal wellbeing
privileges · discharge · treatment plan · mental health · rehabilitation · institutional · ward · client
Educational instruction space
- studentOne formally enrolled somewhere
- teacherOne who instructs others
- sticker chartProgress tracker with adhesive markers
- star chartDiagram of celestial bodies
reward chart · participation · homework · behavior chart · positive reinforcement · merit · achievement · punch card
Units of tally
- incentivesRewards prompting action
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- vouchersRedeemable credit documents
- earningGaining through work
purchasing · privileges · redeemable · credits · prizes · perks · bonuses · accumulation
Cryptographic linked transaction record
- BitcoinPeer-to-peer electronic cash
- EthereumProgrammable blockchain network
- DeFiPeer-to-peer blockchain banking
- stakingRisking something valuable
mining · wallet · airdrop · tokenomics · governance · smart contract · NFT · yield
reinforcer
Consequence increasing behavior
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
- operantProducing an effect
- behaviorismPsychology studying observable conduct
Skinner · contingency · schedule · response · consequence · shaping · extinction · punishment · discriminative · generalization
psychiatric
Of mental health treatment
- inpatientAdmitted overnight patient
- residentialRelating to housing
- group homeSupervised shared residence
self-care · privileges · discharge · treatment plan · mental health · rehabilitation · institutional · ward · client · therapist
classroom
Educational instruction space
- studentOne formally enrolled somewhere
- teacherOne who instructs others
- sticker chartProgress tracker with adhesive markers
star chart · reward chart · participation · homework · behavior chart · positive reinforcement · merit · achievement · punch card · good behavior
points
Units of tally
- incentivesRewards prompting action
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- vouchersRedeemable credit documents
earning · purchasing · privileges · redeemable · credits · prizes · perks · bonuses · accumulation · redemption
blockchain
Cryptographic linked transaction record
- BitcoinPeer-to-peer electronic cash
- EthereumProgrammable blockchain network
- DeFiPeer-to-peer blockchain banking
staking · mining · wallet · airdrop · tokenomics · governance · smart contract · NFT · yield · decentralized
token economycash economy
Commerce using physical currency
direct payment · barter economy · hard currency · gold standard
token economyintrinsic motivation
Desire from within oneself
negative reinforcement · natural consequences · self-determination · coercion
economy, token, tokens, tokenism, tokenistic, tokenization, tokenizing, tokenized