A02 superstitious behaviour and magical thinking

Question 1

What are the 3 sections for the evaluation of superstitious behaviour

Answer 1

Behaviourist explanation

Personal vs cultural superstitions

Illusion if control

Question 2

What are the 3 studies on behaviourist explanation

Answer 2

Skinner
Staddon
Matute

Question 3

Talk about skinners study on behaviourist explanation

Answer 3

Experiment with hungry pigeon’s

Food pellets appeared each day for a few minutes at regular intervals

Found that random behaviours precede the food

E.g. One bird repeatedly turned anticlockwise
Shows that random behaviours were reinforced by the arrival of food. Appeared to cause arrival of food and therefore the food acted as a reinforce for the behaviour

Question 4

What did staddon find in terms of the behaviourist explanation

Answer 4

Challenged skinner

Repeated his study observed similar behaviours but realised these behaviours weren’t related to the food

Showed that at the time of the food presentation all the animals were behaving the same way so it’s a different factor

Question 5

Talk about Matute research on behaviourist explanation

Answer 5

On humans

Exposed Pps to uncontrollable noises from a computer in a library

Pps pressed many buttons to try to stop the noise which did stop but not because of their activity

When noise started again Pps pressed same button they pressed when noise stopped.

So again reinforcement played a role here

Question 6

Talk about personal vs cultural superstitions

Answer 6

Explanations only account for personal superstitions but ignores cultural superstitions

E.g. uk general lucky number is 7 but in Thailand it’s 9

Suggests ppl sometimes adopt superstitions though indirect learning perhaps as a means of gaining a sense of control

Question 7

Who tested illusion of control other than Whitson

Answer 7

Damisch

Question 8

What did damisch do and find

Answer 8

Showed Value of self belief

Found that activation of good luck related superstitions led to enhanced performance on a variety of tasks and that such superstitions increase sense of self efficacy

Question 9

What are the 3 sections for the magical thinking

Answer 9

Benefits of magical thinking
Costs if magical thinking
Lack of magical thinking

Question 10

Talk about benefits

Answer 10

Leads people to increase their self efficacy cz it imposes their confidence in their environment

Magical thinking also acts like a placebo, creates positive expectations and this alone can account for improvements

Question 11

Talk about costs

Answer 11

Associated with mental disorders

Listed as one of the characteristics of schizo
Also a critical factor in ocd

Ocd patients with strong magical thinking also reported checking frequently

Question 12

Talk about lack of magical thinking

Hutson

Answer 12

People who are depressed show less magical thinking. Called depression realism

Suggests a fully accurate assessment of one’s own abilities may not be good for you

Question 13

2 people who tested lack

Answer 13

Hutson

Mohr

Question 14

What did Mohr find

Answer 14

Lack of magical thinking and pleasure linked to low dopamine levels. A neurotransmitter tat is high in schizo and believers in the paranormal