Marking, memory and superstition in the pigeon

Learning is generally poor if reinforcement is delayed, but it improves substantially if a brief stimulus is presented immediately after the response to be learned. The marking hypothesis suggests that the unexpected stimulus triggers a backward memory search, which effectively marks the preceding response in memory, making it more likely that it will be recalled when food is presented. In the present study, pigeons were occasionally reinforced after a 10-sec delay for pecking a split key. Reinforcement was presented regardless of which side was pecked, but for one group a marker followed a peck to the left half of the key during the delay preceding food, and for the other group a peck to the right. On non food trials these contingencies were reversed. Subjects developed a significant preference for the side marked on food trials, despite the absence of any contingency between responding to this side and food. In addition to providing further support for the marking hypothesis, these results favour theories of reinforcement emphasizing contiguity rather than contingency. Contiguity, however, needs to be interpreted within a memory framework. What is crucial is the contiguity of events within working memory, rather than in the real world.     

迷信的悖论

小时年年腊月二十三用麦芽糖给灶王爷上供,奶奶祷告曰:“上天言好事、下界保平安”,用糖瓜把灶王爷嘴粘上,让他说不了坏话,但是我很小即知道,把嘴粘上,不是连好话也不能说了吗?用个糖瓜就把嘴粘上的神,还能有什么灵性和效力吗?可中国人一信就一千年!算命者有推流年一说,从1岁推到60岁,当他煞有介事地推算时,就相信有个神把全世界60亿人每个人的生活都纳入电脑程序中,于是人就成了神的符号,所以算命者即是信神者,能王林/图有这样的神吗?当丛福奎、徐炳松、李真贪污大量人民血汗钱时,他们自己也知道在干着坏事,为了使坏事不暴露,他们向神祷告,…     

Competition, superstition and the illusion of control

The effects of reinforcement schedule and competition on generating superstitious behaviors and beliefs were examined in 72 people. Superstition was induced by having participants respond to turn on a tone under a concurrent 2—lever Variable Interval (VI) Extinction (EXT) schedule. During the session, stimulus lights would occasionally be illuminated, although they did not signal any change in contingency. Attributing importance to the inactive lever, a pattern of switching between levers, or to the illumination of the lights were considered to be superstitious beliefs. Participants were either run alone or in pairs, and manipulation of the reinforcement schedule resulted in groups which were matched in probability of reinforcement, as well as in groups which were mismatched. Reinforcement schedule (VI 30” versus VI 60”) and competitive situation did not affect degree of superstitious belief, except when people were placed in a “winning” condition. However, Superstition was associated with participants’ belief in improved future performance and with participants’ perceived skill relative to their opponents. Results are discussed in terms of relationships between superstition, the illusion of control, and self-efficacy. Differences between experimentally-induced and commonly held superstitions are also discussed.     

Competition, superstition and the illusion of control

The effects of reinforcement schedule and competition on generating superstitious behaviors and beliefs were examined in 72 people. Superstition was induced by having participants respond to turn on a tone under a concurrent 2—lever Variable Interval (VI) Extinction (EXT) schedule. During the session, stimulus lights would occasionally be illuminated, although they did not signal any change in contingency. Attributing importance to the inactive lever, a pattern of switching between levers, or to the illumination of the lights were considered to be superstitious beliefs. Participants were either run alone or in pairs, and manipulation of the reinforcement schedule resulted in groups which were matched in probability of reinforcement, as well as in groups which were mismatched. Reinforcement schedule (VI 30” versus VI 60”) and competitive situation did not affect degree of superstitious belief, except when people were placed in a “winning” condition. However, Superstition was associated with participants’ belief in improved future performance and with participants’ perceived skill relative to their opponents. Results are discussed in terms of relationships between superstition, the illusion of control, and self-efficacy. Differences between experimentally-induced and commonly held superstitions are also discussed.     

"风水是迷信"乃各界共识

看风水是被政策法律所禁止的一种迷信愚昧活动。什么叫风水?《辞海》做了这样的界定:“风水,也叫‘堪舆’。旧中国的一种迷信。认为住宅基地或坟地周围风向水流等形势,能招致住者或葬者一家的祸福。也指相宅、相墓之法。《葬书》(旧本题晋郭璞撰):‘葬者乘生气也。经曰,气乘风则散,界水则止,古人聚之使不散,行之使有止,故谓之风水。’”《词源》对风水所做的界定也与《辞     

A two-state analysis of fixed-interval responding in the pigeon

The behavior of pigeons on six geometrically spaced fixed-interval schedules ranging from 16 to 512 sec is described as a two-state process. In the first state, which begins immediately after reinforcement, response rate is low and constant. At some variable time after reinforcement there is an abrupt transition to a high and approximately constant rate. The point of rapid transition occurs, on the average, at about two-thirds of the way through the interval. Response rate in the second state is an increasing, negatively accelerated function of rate of reinforcement in the second state.     

第二类有中介的调节模型

心理学研究常用有中介的调节模型揭示调节作用通过中介变量间接实现的现象。介绍了第二类有中介的调节模型(meMO-II)的概念及优势; 将meMO-II与其它中介调节混合模型进行了辨析; 给出了meMO-II的建模方法和分析流程, 并用一个实例演示; 介绍了基于潜变量的meMO-II的分析方法、meMO-II建模方法的新进展以及meMO-II的变式。研究有助于推动调节机制研究的发展。     

"三观"蜕变必迷信--党员干部参与封建迷信活动的主观原因分析

党的十六届四中全会提出了加强党的执政能力建设的重要任务,其中明确要求坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位,不断提高建设社会主义先进文化的能力。在全会通过的《决定》中,对此要求进行了全面系统的阐述,特别强调要“弘扬科学精神,传播科学知识,提高干部群众识别和抵制封建迷信和伪科学的能力。”因此,党政领导干部带头抵制封建迷信,是建设社会主义先进文化的需要,事关党的执政能力建设,必须引起高度重视。然而值得注意的是,在近几年我国查处的各类     

疏于管理是迷信愚昧活动难以有效遏制的重要原因——伏羲文化节险成“算命节”

2007年5月3日至5日,在伏羲台召开了"第三届伏羲文化节暨中国姓名学文化节"。文化节与一年一度的新乐何家庄伏羲庙会同时举行。参加庙会的群众与参加文化节的游客融为一体,三天内达20多万人次。在这次文化节上举行了"易学研讨     

Metacognitions in patients with hallucinations and obsessive-compulsive disorder: the superstition factor

On the basis of the analogy between intrusive thoughts and auditory hallucinations established by Morrison et al. [(1995). Intrusive thoughts and auditory hallucinations: a cognitive approach. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 23, 265-280], the present work compares the metacognitive beliefs and processes of five groups of patients (current hallucinators, never-hallucinated people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, recovered hallucinators, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, and a clinical control group) and a non-clinical group. The results show that of the five metacognitive factors considered in this study, two were found to be different in the current hallucinators group in comparison to any other group in the design. Likewise, it is found that the metacognitive beliefs of the current hallucinators coincide with those of the OCD patients in various factors, particularly that relating to superstition, and this is interpreted as lending support to the model of Morrison et al. (1995). Furthermore, the results are discussed in the light of existing research on Thought-Action Fusion, stressing the role that may be played by superstitious beliefs and magical thinking in auditory hallucinations and OCD.     

Delayed alternation in the pigeon

Pigeons were studied in a delayed-response task requiring alternation of key pecks on two response keys. Blackouts of from 1 to 10 sec intervened between successive choices on the two keys.

The following results were obtained: (1) Birds performed at well above chance accuracy on all the delays tested. Accuracy was generally lowest at 1- and 10-sec delays. (2) Overt postural orientations during the delay interval appeared to mediate accurate key-pecking behavior. (3) The shape of the delay vs. accuracy function was discussed in terms of the possibly confounding influences of (a) stimulus “trace” variables, and (b) aversive effects of the time outs produced by incorrect responding.

     

Food satiation in the pigeon

The experiment was designed to find the shape of food satiation curves of the pigeon as a function of hours of deprivation or percentage of free-feeding weight, and to study the fluctuation in free-feeding weight as a function of deprivation and satiation. At a systematically and progressively increased number of hours'' deprivation, eight birds were allowed to satiate on grain presented contingent upon the emission of a pecking response. In the second part of the experiment, in which two birds were used, a similar procedure was followed except that the independent variable was percentage of free-feeding weight. These were the conclusions.1. Approximately 64% of the satiation curves were classified as straight with an abrupt stop. The next highest percentage of curves was 18% for curves classified as straight with a curvilinear stop. No “classic” satiation curves, curvilinear with curvilinear stop, were found.2. The pigeons responded at fairly constant rate during the early part of each satiation session, or they did not respond at all. The critical weight, above which they did not respond, was 85% of free feeding.