B.F. Skinner rigged the cages of pigeons so that food was delivered every 15 seconds. Within a short time most of the pigeons were practicing some sort of consistent behavior, even though the behavior did not have any effect on the delivery of the reinforcer. The birds were:
A) demonstrating spontaneous recovery.
B) developing phobias.
C) demonstrating the partial reinforcement effect.
D) behaving superstitiously.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

B.F. Skinner's experiment showed that the pigeons were behaving superstitiously, as they associated random actions with the delivery of food, despite there being no actual relationship between the two. This behavior is similar to how some humans develop superstitions, such as wearing lucky socks during a sports game, even though it has no actual effect on the outcome.

BF Skinner Rigged the Cages of Pigeons So That Food