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Non-contingent positive and negative reinforcement schedules of superstitious behaviors
C M Bloom1, J Venard, M Harden
1University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN, United States. cbloom@usi.edu
Abstract:
The role of schedules of reinforcement on the development of superstitious conditioning was investigated in a college age population. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight operant schedules and instructed to remove (escape), prevent and/or remove (avoidance and escape) or produce (positive) the appearance of a computer generated stimulus using a response pad. Results from the experiment indicate that concomitant (escape and avoidance) schedules of reinforcement are most effective in facilitating acquisition of superstitious behavior as measured by self-reports of participants.
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