Article: Sport superstition as a function of skill level and task difficulty.(Author abstract)(Report)

Superstition appears to arise from situations of uncertainty (Burger & Lynn, 2005; Felson & Gmelch, 1979; Vyse, 1997). Skinner (1948) was one of the first to document' superstition' as a way of describing the behaviors pigeons showed when reinforced with food on a fixed time interval. The pigeons were presented with a situation in which it was unclear why and when food reinforcement was to be given. The pigeons repeated specific behaviors that appeared to result in positive reinforcement. Skinner suggested that these behaviors were a result of the pigeons' chance actions being paired unintentionally with the reinforcement, which seemed to give the pigeon an illusion of control ...

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