Over half a century ago, behavioural psychologist B F Skinner conducted a study with a group of pigeons in order to understand superstitious behaviour. He used some simple technique to produce a certain physical response from the pigeons. It was a response like raising a wing on the application of a stimulus. When the wing was raised, the pigeon’s behaviour was reinforced by giving it food. The stimulus-response-reinforcement combo was repeated many times. Finally the bird began to associate the behaviour (raising the wing) with the getting of food. It thought that it got food because it raised its wing. A superstition was born. Superstition is a mistaken understanding of the cause-effect relationship. A few days back I was walking along the road when a cat, a black one at that, crossed the road in front of me. There was only one other man walking in front of me when the incident took place. He was rendered motionless as if struck dead by lightning. He spat out hatefu
Cerebrate and Celebrate