Superstitious Behavior

Modified: 2026-08-03 11:37 AM CDST

Skinner demonstrated that behaviors selected at random and reinforced would be maintained.
- This finding was extended to superstitious behavior.
- Superstitious behavior is when conditioning occurs to R-->S^R pairings that simply happen by chance.
- In other words, there is no contingency between the two, but animals and people act as if there were.
For example, consider the pairing of holding a rabbit's foot and getting a high grade on a test.
- Now, the next time a test comes around, you hold the rabbit's foot.
- Most likely, there is no connection between test taking and holding a rabbit's foot, but you act as if there were.
Another example is wearing "lucky socks."
- Baseball players might do this.
- Suppose a hitter is in a slump; his mother sends him some new socks, he wears them, and he gets three hits in the next game.
- What does he do next?
- He wears the socks again.
- What is the likelihood of the socks having contributed to his getting the three hits?
So, when a response and a reinforcer follow each other, but only by chance, a superstitious behavior may develop.