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token economy

in behavior therapy, a program, sometimes conducted in an institutional setting (e.g., a hospital or classroom), in which desired behavior is reinforced by offering tokens that can be exchanged for special foods, television time, passes, or other rewards. See also backup reinforcer; behavior modification; operant conditioning therapy.

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Psychology term of the day

April 29th 2024

excitability

excitability

n.

1. the tendency of some individuals to be readily aroused to emotional responses.

2. in neurophysiology, the capacity of neurons and some muscle cells to respond electrically to external stimulation with a sudden, transient increase in their ionic permeability and a change in the electric potential across their cell membrane. —excitable adj.