| Course | BA410 Introduction to Experimental Analysis of Behavior |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 490 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BA410 Unit 9
A Rat That Spins Before Every Pellet and My Lucky Exam Pen: A BA410 Unit 9 Discussion Post on Superstitious Behavior
BA410 · Unit 9 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The writer, the lab, its animals and the classmates are composite; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
Some of the oddest behavior I have seen as a lab technician came during simple feeding sessions. During a magazine training phase, the computer delivers pellets every thirty seconds regardless of what the rat does. Most rats simply wait near the food cup. One rat, number four, developed a habit of turning a full circle to the left just before each pellet arrived. Nothing about turning produced the food. Yet she did it on nearly every cycle, for days.
Skinner (1948) described this pattern in pigeons. He delivered food to hungry pigeons at fixed intervals, regardless of their behavior, and found that most developed distinctive repetitive behaviors, such as turning counterclockwise or thrusting the head into a corner, that they performed between deliveries. He proposed that whatever a bird happened to be doing when food arrived was reinforced by accident, became more frequent and was therefore more likely to be happening when the next delivery came. He called the result superstitious behavior.
Number four's spin was reinforced not because it worked, but because it happened to come just before food often enough to look as if it did.
Ono (1987) tested the idea with people. College students sat at a table with three levers and a counter that delivered points on a schedule that did not depend on their responses. Many developed persistent patterns of lever pulling, and some developed elaborate behaviors, such as touching objects in the room or jumping, that they repeated as if they produced points. The results suggested that accidental reinforcement can build superstitious behavior in humans as well.
Later researchers have debated whether Skinner's explanation is complete, noting that some of the pigeons' behaviors resembled natural feeding behaviors that occur as food approaches. That debate is a reminder that more than one process can produce a ritual.
My green pen is a small example. I used it for an exam I did well on two years ago, and I have used it ever since. I know it has no effect. I still reach for it.
What superstition have you noticed in yourself or others that accidental reinforcement might explain?
Reply to Marisol
Marisol, the baseball player in your example, tapping his helmet three times before every pitch fits Skinner (1948) well. Hits come on an intermittent schedule, so a ritual followed by an occasional hit could be maintained for a long time.
Reply to Kyle
Kyle, I agree that not every ritual is superstition. Some routines help people focus, which may affect performance directly. Ono (1987) studied behaviors with no plausible effect at all, which is what makes them superstitious.
References
Ono, K. (1987). Superstitious behavior in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47(3), 261-271. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1987.47-261
Skinner, B. F. (1948). 'Superstition' in the pigeon. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38(2), 168-172. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0055873
BA410 Unit 9 instructions, in plain terms
The Unit 9 board in BA410 asks you to discuss superstitious behavior in animals and people. Describe Skinner's original study and his explanation based on accidental reinforcement. Summarize at least one study of superstitious behavior in humans. Note any debate about the explanation. Give an example of superstitious behavior from observation or your own life, and explain it with the research. Close by asking peers about a superstition of their own. Keep the first post near 400 to 450 words, with two replies adding a schedule-based explanation or distinguish a useful routine from a superstition. Keep any examples about other people composite and kind. Keep examples kind and composite.
How this BA410 Unit 9 example is built
The post opens with a rat that spins before each pellet on a fixed-time schedule. A paragraph summarizes Skinner's pigeon study and his explanation, under a highlighted line that the spin was reinforced by coincidence. A paragraph describes Ono's college students and their persistent, sometimes elaborate behaviors. A short paragraph notes later debate about whether some pigeon behaviors reflected natural feeding patterns. The writer admits to her lucky green pen and asks classmates for their own examples. Replies explain a baseball ritual through intermittent reinforcement and separate focusing routines from true superstitions. Both replies cite the original studies, and the tone stays light without losing the science. The tone stays light.
Reading the BA410 Unit 9 grading rubric
Graders look for accurate descriptions of Skinner's study and at least one human study, including procedures and findings. Mentioning debate about the explanation shows awareness that classic findings are revisited. A personal or observed example earns credit when linked to accidental reinforcement or schedules. Distinguishing superstition from routines that actually affect performance demonstrates careful thinking. Replies should add explanations or distinctions. Skinner's and Ono's studies should be cited directly. Honest, light-hearted personal examples are often welcome on this board, as long as they are tied to the research. Posts that admit a personal superstition and then analyze it honestly are often the most engaging for classmates and graders alike.
Common BA410 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Superstition posts often describe Skinner's pigeons loosely, without the response-independent schedule that defines the procedure. Others treat every ritual as superstition, including routines that do help. Students frequently skip human research. Personal examples may lack any link to reinforcement history. Replies tend to share more superstitions without explaining them. Before posting, state the schedule in Skinner's study, summarize one human study's procedure and result, explain how your example could have been accidentally reinforced, and in replies, either explain a classmate's example with a schedule or note how it differs from a superstition. Keep it short, specific and tied to a named study. Then reread your summary of each study against its abstract.
Get a BA410 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 9 question and the rubric. A custom post explains superstition with lab and everyday examples. The first is free, back within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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BA410 Unit 9 questions, answered
What did Skinner's superstition study show?
Pigeons given food at fixed times developed idiosyncratic behaviors that happened to precede food.
Do people show superstitious behavior?
Yes; a study found people developed odd behaviors under response-independent reinforcement.
What should replies add?
A superstition the classmate's example might explain.
Where can I find a free BA410 Unit 9 sample paper?
This page holds the complete BA410 Unit 9 post on superstitious behavior in a composite lab rat and in people, with two replies.
What did Skinner's pigeons do in the BA410 Unit 9 sample?
Fed on a timer regardless of behavior, most developed rituals, such as turning, that had happened to precede food.