token economy


noun Psychiatry.

a method of encouraging desirable behavior, especially in a hospital setting, by offering rewards of token money that can be exchanged for special food, access to television, and other bonuses.

Origin of token economy

First recorded in 1965–70

Words nearby token economy

British Dictionary definitions for token economy

token economy

noun

a type of psychotherapy in which the inmates of an institution are rewarded for good behaviour with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges