Dictionary of Biological Psychology
A term used to describe the inadvertent acquisition of a response, such as lever pressing, that is not productive or meaningful. Animals trained on random SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT will often show superstitious behaviours, and certain brain lesions can produce superstitious effects.
See also: schedule-induced polydipsia
Reference
Devenport L.D. (1979) Superstitious bar pressing in hippocampal and septal rats. Science 205:721–723.
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