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.
Answer: D
Rationale: This experiment demonstrated the development of superstitious behavior. Superstitious behavior can occur when reinforcement is delivered randomly, because whatever behavior precedes the reinforcer will become more likely to occur, even if it had nothing to do with its delivery.
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