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EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL OF SUPERSTITIOUS RESPONDING IN HUMANS 1
Author(s) -
Catania A. Charles,
Cutts David
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1963.6-203
Subject(s) - changeover , reinforcement , session (web analytics) , schedule , psychology , audiology , medicine , computer science , social psychology , telecommunications , world wide web , operating system , transmission (telecommunications)
Superstitions were demonstrated with human subjects when presses on one button were reinforced on a VI 30‐sec schedule while presses on a second were never reinforced. Superstitious responding, on the second button, was often maintained because presses on that button were frequently followed by reinforcement for a subsequent press on the first button. The introduction of a changeover delay (COD), which separated in time presses on the second button and subsequent reinforced presses on the first button, reduced or eliminated the superstitious responding of these subjects. Some complex superstitions were also demonstrated with other subjects for which the COD was in effect from the beginning of the session.