Virginia Simmelhag
Virginia Simmelhag appears on this site as second author, with John Staddon, of the 1971 Psychological Review reexamination of the pigeon superstition experiment.
Who they are
The work of Virginia Simmelhag reaches this site through the paper listed below. On this site the name is tied to Superstitious Behavior in Pigeons, Operant Conditioning.
Key papers
Staddon, J. E. R., & Simmelhag, V. L. (1971). The 'superstition' experiment: A reexamination of its implications for the principles of adaptive behavior. Psychological Review, 78(1), 3-43. What it reports: Repeated and extended the pigeon procedure and found activities soon after food that varied between birds, and a later response, usually pecking near the feeder, that tracked the likelihood of food; the authors read reinforcement as selection among behaviours.
Key ideas
Superstitious Behavior in Pigeons: Skinner's 1948 report of repeated routines in pigeons fed on a timer, and the 1971 reexamination that explained the behaviour by selection and the timing of food.
Operant Conditioning: B.F. Skinner's finding that behavior is shaped by its consequences, not by conscious intent, reward or punish an action and you change how often it recurs.
Sources
- Staddon, J. E. R., & Simmelhag, V. L. (1971). The 'superstition' experiment: A reexamination of its implications for the principles of adaptive behavior. Psychological Review, 78(1), 3-43.