http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question234.htm
Deanna Schneider wrote: > Well, pulling up closer isn't what I meant. But we definitely have > intersections that are "tripped" by cars approaching. I know some that do. > And, I approach those differently than the ones that I know are just timed. > Ain't nothing gonna make the timed ones trip faster except some sort of > here-to-for undisclosed time travel mechanism. But, for the ones that are > tripped by a car's presence, approaching them slowly seems to trip them > while flying right up to the stop line doesn't. > > On 1/20/06, Larry C. Lyons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>It is. Superstitious behavior happens when the delivery of a >>reinforcer or punisher occurs close together in time (temporal >>contiguity) with an independent behavior. Therefore, the behavior is >>accidentally reinforced or punished, increasing the likelihood of that >>behavior occurring again. >> >>For example, you walk under a ladder and a minute later you trip and >>fall. It is easy to attribute your accident to "bad luck" and the >>irrelevant ladder. The reason an association is easy to form is >>because your cultural belief that walking under a ladder will bring >>bad luck is positively reinforced by your fall that occurred soon >>after walking under the ladder. >> >>In terms of pulling up closer to the stop line at a traffic stop, if >>you do it once in a while, and the light changes, then you're more >>likely to pull up more often. If a perceived contingency is >>established, (i.e., it occurs just frequently enough) then the person >>is conditioned to pull up at traffic stops. >> >>larry >> >> > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:193635 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
