The Study of Superstition in Behavioral Sciences: Discussing Experimental Arrangements and Theoretical Assumptions

Abstract

Superstition has been analyzed in behavioral sciences through the use of several terms (e.g., superstition, superstitious behavior, superstitious rules, and superstitious beliefs). This paper argues that the interpretation of the results of studies on superstition depend on: a) the experimental arrangements that are used to study this subject, b) what each of these arrangements enable us to conclude about behavioral relations, and c) assumptions about the role that is attributed to verbal behavior during the construction of superstitions. The role that is attributed to verbal behavior and the experimental arrangements that are chosen are related to underlying concepts of the effects of environmental variables on the control of behavior, namely whether these variables have a direct or indirect (mediational) effect over behavior. Based on these discussions, an alternative course of action is to emphasize existing functional relations between variables as a direct contingency effect, regardless of whether these variables or effects are verbal or nonverbal..

Free culturant: A software for the experimental study of behavioral and cultural selection.

“…In other words, the restaurant’s food preparation (culturant) is selected by the cultural consequence that comprises revenues. Many other social phenomena have also been interpreted as involving metacontingencies: superstition (Marques, Leite, & Benvenuti, 2012), absenteeism (Camden & Ludwig, 2013), social reform (Bortoloti & D’Agostino, 2007; Lamal, 1991), and practices in correctional settings (Ellis, 1991), among others.…”

“…In two other arrangements, bonuses are released independently of culturants, based solely on the passage of time (analogous to FT and VT schedules of reinforcement). Independent schedules (VT and FT) were included to allow the study of superstition at the individual and cultural levels (see Marques et al, 2012). The last metacontingency that can be programmed is extinction (i.e., the cultural consequence is suspended).…”

Behavior and illusions: a model to study superstition in a participant replacement experiment

“…The present strategy to investigate superstitious behavior and the illusion of control is novel and may encourage future research to better understand the relationship between social learning mechanisms, superstitious behavior, and the illusion of control. As discussed by Marques and Benvenuti (2017), there is still a need to better understand the role of social and cultural mechanisms in illusions and superstition in the psychological literature.…”