On-going program effectiveness evaluation in a token economy.

Abstract

A simple on-going treatment evaluation system enabling modification of treatment approach and encouraging clear staff-child communication is described. Basically the system involves the maintenance, examination, and discussion among staff of: (a) target behaviour graphs; (b) histogram showing the number of points made and lost; and (c) number of rewards to fines graph and table. A brief description is given as to how each of the above works, and the type of information each can provide.

Contributions of Canadian applied psychological research to correctional and psychiatric institutions.

“…There have been several studies that have contributed to the assessment and diagnosis of seriously psychiatrically disturbed individuals, especially schizophrenics (e.g., Cantor, Pearce, Pezzot-Pearce, & Evans, 1981;Craig, 1968Craig, , 1970Cyr, 1983;Iacono, Tuason, & Johnson, 1981;Klinka & Papageorgis, 1984;Payne, 1961;Steffy & Galbraith, 1974,1975. The first four of these studies have been directly concerned with assessment and diagnosis.…”

“…The work of Steffy and associates at Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital in Toronto (Steffy, Hart, Craw, Torney, & Marlett, 1969) was another pioneering effort demonstrating the positive effects of the token economy. Token economies and social learning programmes were established in many Canadian psychiatric institutions around that time and in succeeding years (e.g., Boulay, 1969; Doherty, 1975; Hart & Whitby, 1967; Quinsey & Sarbit, 1975). The early Canadian work on the token economy led to the work of Paul and Lentz (1977), in which the superiority of social learning approaches to treatment over traditional treatment was clearly demonstrated.…”