Independent Contingency and Token Economy at Recess to Reduce Aggression
A recess token board can halve aggression, but only while prizes last.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Yassine et al. (2021) set up a token economy at recess. Kids earned paper tokens for safe play. They could trade tokens for small prizes at the end of recess.
The study ran for three months in an elementary school. Staff watched for hitting, kicking, and name-calling. They gave tokens to whole grades when aggression stayed low.
What they found
Aggression fell 50 to 100 percent from the first week. The drops held only in some grades. When prizes ran low, problem behavior crept back up.
Staff liked the system because it needed no extra adults. They warned that you must keep backup prizes ready or the effect fades.
How this fits with other research
Bowe et al. (1983) also cut recess aggression with simple organized games. They used jump rope and races instead of tokens. Both studies show group-wide recess plans can work without singling out one child.
Staddon (1970) looks like the opposite story. That study gave tokens to delinquent boys for aggressive acts during a game. The aggression spread to new settings. The key difference is who got tokens and why. Yassine rewarded safe play; E rewarded aggression. Same tool, different target, opposite results.
Kohlenberg et al. (1976) ran a long token economy in youth cottages. Prosocial gains lasted 14 months. Their success and Yassine’s short-term win both hinge on steady backup reinforcers. When supplies dip, behavior drifts.
Why it matters
If you cover recess, try a grade-wide token board. Keep it simple: one token per minute of safe play. Stock a locked box of reinforcers before you start. Watch for dips and refill fast. Pair the tokens with loud, specific praise so social attention backs up the prizes.
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Post a token chart at recess, load your prize box, and hand out one token per safe minute.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
School-wide behavior problems can vary significantly from structured to unstructured settings. Often problem behaviors can spike during unstructured times such as lunch and recess and the use of Tier 1 positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) can be used to reduce student behavior problems in these settings. Using a token economy as an independent group contingency, this study aimed to reduce student aggression in an elementary school during lunch/recess periods of the day. Students had the opportunity to earn school “dollars” during recess for demonstrating prosocial behaviors in which they were told could be exchanged for incentives at a student store (backup reinforcers). Across all grade levels, student levels of aggression were reduced between 50 and 100% from baseline levels in a 3-month period. However, as effect sizes indicated, only some intervention groups showed significant reduction of aggression. Despite the limitation of access to backup reinforcers, we theorized that the effectiveness of the present intervention was due to socially mediated contingencies among student group members as a result of receiving dollars.
Contemporary School Psychology, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40688-021-00364-7