Principles of Operant Conditioning Have Been Used to Help Explain

question 62

Essay

Principles of operant conditioning have been used to help explain why people get attached to "lucky" hats, charms, and rituals. Using these principles, explain how an athlete might show this type of behaviour. How did Skinner demonstrate the phenomenon of superstitious behaviour with eight pigeons in his laboratory?

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Definitions:

Mental Retardation

An outdated and offensive term formerly used to describe individuals with significantly below-average intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors; the preferred term is intellectual disability.

Autism

A developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.

Information-Processing Approach

A cognitive psychology perspective emphasizing the way people focus on, manipulate, store, and retrieve information.

Allocate Attention

Refers to the process of focusing cognitive resources on specific stimuli, tasks, or goals while ignoring others.