What do we and pigeons have that are in common?
byXIAOLAIon2012/02/06·13 COMMENTS
Human beings have a natural tendency to try connecting two or more phenomena, and we just cannot help doing so. People used to believe the Sun rises because of roosters crowing, pigeons flying in groups with no noise predicts a good future, or watching television harms relationships among friends and family[1], all of which are now well-known false connections.
It’s not an exclusive trait that only belongs to human beings. Almost every species has this instinct. A harvard professor once proved even pigeons could develop superstitions. Professor B. F. Skinner did a simple experiment[2]back in 1920s:
A pigeon is brought to a stable state of hunger by reducing it to 75 percent of its weight when well fed. It is put into an experimental cage for a few minutes each day. A food hopper attached to the cage may be swung into place so that the pigeon can eat from it. A solenoid and a timing relay hold the hopper in place for five sec. at each reinforcement.
See the video on youtube.com: Pigeon Superstition Experiment
The pigeon doesn’t know foods are provided by fixed intervals, it only knows foods might appear, or, I guess, it certainly hopes foods should appear. But the pigeon, like we human beings and all other animals, always tries to make connections. It is flipping its wings the moment foods appear, then it might believe flipping its wings would cause the appearance of foods. Next time it is hungry, it flipps wings. Certainly, foods will not appear merely because the pigeon is flipping its wings, but the absence of expected outcome only creates a sense of persistence. And it just happens after several attempts that foods appear while the pigeon is flipping its wings! Finally, the pigeon develops a superstition, a ritual to call for foods: flipping wings.
So, next time somebody shares with you one of his significant experiences, and tell you what he has learned from it, wait for a second, because that might well be merely a false connection. You have to carefully analyze causal relationship of his statement before you take it for granted. What’s more, you now already know, arguing with believers of false connections they already cherish is in vain, since doing so is more likely to enhance their sense of persistence.
Making false connections (or having a superstitious belief) has a huge potential price. It might initial a denial of reality, it might develop a fear of knowledge, and it might deprive an individual of his ability to distinguish the true and the false. In a larger picture, it is the fundamental cause that some violate, trivialize, or even exploit others’ dignity and human rights.
Footnotes:
- This statement is actually an essay topic of TOEFL test! [ ↩ ]
- ‘ SUPERSTITION’ IN THE PIGEON by B. F. Skinner , 1947. [ ↩ ]