In an upscale food delivery chain, the delivery persons are given badges for timely food delivery at the end of each month. Bonus is given annually in exchange for six such badges. The company has therefore been able to retain most of its employees and get better returns year after year. Which behavioural technique is being used to reinforce delivery personnel?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Token economy
Option (1) Negative reinforcement — Incorrect. Responses that get rid of painful stimuli or avoid them are negatively reinforced, as putting on woollen clothes avoids the cold. Nothing unpleasant is removed for the delivery persons; they earn something.
Option (2) Differential reinforcement — Incorrect. It increases the wanted behaviour and reduces the unwanted behaviour together, for example by rewarding the wanted behaviour and ignoring the unwanted one. The company targets only one behaviour, timely delivery.
Option (3) Modelling — Incorrect. In modelling a person learns a behaviour by observing a role model, and small changes towards it are rewarded. No one is shown a model to copy.
Option (4) Token economy — Correct. Persons are given a token as a reward every time a wanted behaviour occurs; the tokens are collected and exchanged for a reward. The badges are the tokens for each timely delivery, and six badges are exchanged for the annual bonus.
NCERT (2025-26): “Behavioural Techniques … Negative reinforcement and aversive conditioning are the two major techniques of behaviour modification. As you have already studied in Class XI, responses that lead organisms to get rid of painful stimuli or avoid and escape from them provide negative reinforcement. For example, one learns to put on woollen clothes, burn firewood or use electric heaters to avoid the unpleasant cold weather. One learns to move away from dangerous stimuli because they provide negative reinforcement. Aversive conditioning refers to repeated association of undesired response with an aversive consequence. For example, an alcoholic is given a mild electric shock and asked to smell the alcohol. With repeated pairings the smell of alcohol is aversive as the pain of the shock is associated with it and the person will give up alcohol. If an adaptive behaviour occurs rarely, positive reinforcement is given to increase the deficit. For example, if a child does not do homework regularly, positive reinforcement may be used by the child’s mother by preparing the child’s favourite dish whenever s/he does homework at the appointed time. The positive reinforcement of food will increase the behaviour of doing homework at the appointed time. Persons with behavioural problems can be given a token as a reward every time a wanted behaviour occurs. The tokens are collected and exchanged for a reward such as an outing for the patient or a treat for the child. This is known as token economy.” “Unwanted behaviour can be reduced and wanted behaviour can be increased simultaneously through differential reinforcement. Positive reinforcement for the wanted behaviour and negative reinforcement for the unwanted behaviour attempted together may be one such method. The other method is to positively reinforce the wanted behaviour and ignore the unwanted behaviour.…” “…Modelling is the procedure wherein the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing the behaviour of a role model or the therapist who initially acts as the role model. Vicarious learning, i.e. learning by observing others, is used and through a process of rewarding small changes in the behaviour, the client gradually learns to acquire the behaviour of the model.…” |