In operant conditioning research, superstitious behavior can be produced by which procedure?

• A. Eliminating reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior until the behavior decreases (extinction)
• B. Delivering reinforcement only after each correct response (continuous reinforcement) so the behavior is directly shaped by its consequences
• C. Pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits a conditioned response (classical conditioning)
• D. Delivering reinforcement on a response-independent (noncontingent) schedule, such as fixed-time food delivery regardless of the organism’s behavior

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of superstitious behavior in operant conditioning: it occurs when an organism mistakenly associates a behavior with a reinforcement that is actually delivered independently of that behavior.
2. Recognize that superstitious behavior is not produced by extinction, continuous reinforcement, or classical conditioning procedures, as these involve clear contingencies between behavior and reinforcement or stimulus pairing.
3. Focus on the procedure where reinforcement is delivered on a response-independent schedule, meaning the reinforcement occurs regardless of the organism's behavior, such as fixed-time food delivery.
4. Analyze how this noncontingent reinforcement can lead the organism to repeat behaviors that happened to occur just before the reinforcement, mistakenly believing those behaviors caused the reward.
5. Conclude that superstitious behavior arises specifically from delivering reinforcement independently of the organism's actions, which creates false associations between behavior and reinforcement.