Knock Wood
Presented by Anna DiFelice and
Megan Dern
Background
•B. F. Skinner – “Father
of Radical
Behaviorism”
•Skinner Box
•Environment
•Consequences
•Reinforcers vs.
Punishers
•Extinction
Question: Does being superstitious require
thinking, knowing, and reasoning?
Hypothesis: Operant Conditioning has
much to do with superstitious behavior.
Theory
•Knocking on wood,
avoiding walking under
ladders, stepping on
sidewalk cracks, etc.
•Why do people gain
superstitious behaviors?
•Noncontingent
Reinforcement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtfQlkGwE2U
Experiment
•Method:
-Skinner Box
-Skinner used Pigeons
-Positive reinforcements
-Intervals
•Results:
-6/8 trials
-Superstitious behaviors
-The pigeons believed
whatever they were doing
affected whether or not
they got food
-Extinction
Discussion
•Bowling:
-twist and turn your arm
-your arm has no effect on
the ball
-ball’s movement in
addition to the
consequence creates
superstition
•The effect of high
expectations and
extinction
Another Example
•1961 Bruner and Revuski
•Experiment:
-Four Students sit in front
of four buttons
-Reinforcement every 10
seconds
-They all developed a
superstitious pattern
More Recently
•1998 Sagvolden
experiment based off
of Skinner’s findings
•ADHD boys vs. nonADHD boys