RBT guideCore RBT Concepts
RBT Token Economies: Conditioned Reinforcers and Backups
A token economy uses conditioned reinforcers that exchange for backup reinforcers. Deliver, earn, and exchange exactly as written. Tokens are not prompts.
Short answer
A token economy uses conditioned reinforcers (tokens) that are exchanged later for backup reinforcers identified by the plan, often after a preference assessment. Tokens become reinforcing because of that exchange history. Deliver tokens according to the written schedule, exchange at the written price, and do not use token removal as an improvised punishment unless the plan specifies response cost. Tokens are consequences, not prompts.
Tokens are IOUs for backups, not stickers for the wall
A token economy uses conditioned reinforcers that exchange for backup reinforcers. Implement the written token plan rather than improvising prices. Deliver the token only after the response the board named. Acquisition lists token economies in Domain C. Preference assessment often chooses the backups. Reinforcement versus punishment still applies: if token delivery increases the behavior, it is functioning as a reinforcer.
A token that never exchanges, or that exchanges for something the client does not contact, will not stay effective.
Rules the stem usually tests
Schedule: every response, every Nth, or after a full board—as written.
Exchange: five tokens = two minutes of bubbles, not “whatever you feel.”
Pairing: show the backup, deliver tokens consistently, exchange on time.
Response cost: removing tokens is a punishment procedure if the plan uses it. Do not invent it because you are annoyed.
Original teaching sketch: A board that fills after five independent mands, then exchanges for a chosen snack, is a token economy. Handing a sticker after a prompted response when the plan required independence is a fidelity error. Using the token as a pointing prompt toward the correct card confuses a consequence with a prompt. See prompting.
These sketches are original.
When token versus prompt still swaps, use stems that only change when the token appears.
Thinning and generalization
Plans may raise the price or move from continuous to intermittent token delivery. That is maintenance, not stinginess. Do not drop the price on your own to “keep them happy.”
Tokens can be used in DTT or in naturalistic teaching. The economy is the consequence system, not the trial structure.
The what-to-study guide keeps this in Domain C.
If exchange rules are the miss, keep a token-economy block.
A full board that never cashes in is a broken economy.
Then mix token items with preference-assessment items so backups still match what the client will work for.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.