In behavioral management, which system uses tokens as secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for desired rewards?

• A. Primary reinforcers
• B. Secondary reinforcers
• C. Punishers
• D. Aversive stimuli

Answer: (B)

Token economies rely on conditioned reinforcers to shape behavior. In this system, tokens have no intrinsic value on their own, but their importance comes from being paired with desirable primary rewards. People earn tokens for performing target behaviors, and those tokens can later be exchanged for preferred items, activities, or privileges. This setup strengthens repeated good behavior because the tokens serve as a bridge to the actual rewards, linking the behavior to a meaningful outcome.

Primary reinforcers, by contrast, are biologically fundamental rewards like food or water, which don’t require learning to be reinforcing. Punishers and aversive stimuli are about decreasing behavior through unpleasant consequences, not about reinforcing it.