Robert Bacal comments:
>Reminds me of the concept of "superstitious behaviour" suggested by
>Skinner (actually by his pigeons). He noticed that his pigeons were
>developing very weird behaviours, head bobs, dances and so on associated
>with feeding time and their own pecking at the bar behaviour. The pigeons
>had somehow associated these bizarre behaviours as something required to
>receive their food, accidentally, when no real association existed.
Although a very brilliant man, Skinner had a mechanistic view of the
universe, which disabled his ability to understand everything he saw.
Some of us have learned through observation, contemplation and practice
that if you don't bob your head and do your dance you might get a kernal
of corn when you peck, but it won't be the same as if you had.
--Jack Hirschfeld What would you do if I sang out of tune? jack@his.com Would you get up and walk out on me?
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