Academic Performance of Mentally Handicapped Children as a Function of Token Economies and Contingency Contracts

Abstract

The effects of several incentive systems on the reading and arithmetic performances of 12 primary EMR children were investigated. “Normal” [non systematic] classroom management was compared with a token economy plus superimposed contracts over an eight week period. Both reversal and multiple baseline designs were employed. Reading and arithmetic performances were highest when the token economy was combined with a superimposed contract. Performance was lowest when neither the token economy nor the combination of tokens and contracts were in effect.