The case of superstitious behavior illustrates the fact that:
A)learning can occur when the reinforcer is delayed.
B)the correlation between response and reinforcer does not necessitate a causal relation.
C)learning occurs when the correlation between the ongoing behavior and the response is zero.
D)a causal relation between response and reinforcer is required for learning to occur.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Superstitious behavior refers to the development of seemingly irrational behavior as a result of coincidental reinforcement. For example, a pigeon may begin to exhibit a particular behavior such as turning in circles because it happened to be doing so when it received food, even though this behavior has no actual causal relationship to the receipt of food. This illustrates that the correlation between response and reinforcer does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship, and therefore, learning can occur without a direct causal relation.

The Case of Superstitious Behavior Illustrates the Fact That