Superstitious beliefs and the associative mind

Daprati, Elena; Sirigu, Angela; Desmurget, Michel; Nico, Daniele

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2019.102822

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Moreover, choices consistent with subjective ordering remained strong in a preference discouraging (PD) schedule that actively discouraged them by dynamically increasing reward probability for whichever alternative had been selected least often. In contrast, Q-learning algorithm failed to produce subjective ordering under this schedule, although it replicated it under a preference-neutral schedule that did not discourage consistent preferences, capturing the well-known vulnerability of associative models to spurious reward correlations [13,14,15,16,17]. These results are consistent with a wealth of studies showing that pure associative learning is not sufficient to explain TI learning [22,23,24,30].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Converging evidence shows that humans [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] and non-human animals [9, 10, 11, 12] learn spurious associations in variety of conditions. Spurious learning is generally explained in terms of simple associative learning that overestimates causal relationships between external events or between the animal’s actions and outcomes [13, 14, 15, 16]. Indeed, simple associative learning models, like the Rescorla–Wagner model, depend heavily on correlations between events and can be easily fooled into strengthening associations based on incidental coincidences [17].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Superstitious learning of abstract order from random reinforcement

Jin

Jensen

Gottlieb

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Survival depends on identifying learnable features of the environment that predict reward, and avoiding others that are random and unlearnable. However, humans and other animals often infer spurious associations among unrelated events, raising the question of how well they can distinguish learnable patterns from unlearnable events. Here, we tasked monkeys with discovering the serial order of two pictorial sets: a "learnable" set in which the stimuli were implicitly ordered and monkeys were rewarded for choosing the higher-rank stimulus and an "unlearnable" set in which stimuli were unordered and feedback was random regardless of the choice. We replicated prior results that monkeys reliably learned the implicit order of the learnable set. Surprisingly, the monkeys behaved as though some ordering also existed in the unlearnable set, showing consistent choice preference that transferred to novel untrained pairs in this set, even under a preference-discouraging reward schedule that gave rewards more frequently to the stimulus that was selected less often. In simulations, a model-free RL algorithm (Q-learning) displayed a degree of consistent ordering among the unlearnable set but, unlike the monkeys, failed to do so under the preference- discouraging reward schedule. Our results suggest that monkeys infer abstract structures from objectively random events using heuristics that extend beyond stimulus-outcome conditional learning to more cognitive model-based learning mechanisms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Superstitious learning of abstract order from random reinforcement

Jin

Jensen

Gottlieb

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…2 Research studies reported that personal control, coping mechanisms and control stra-tegies were predictors of negative and positive super-stitious beliefs. 3 Pakistani societies and cultures reported superstitious beliefs in various contexts. According to previous research, some factors developed the superstitious belief in Pakistani society, such as education, socioeconomic status, gender, family tensions, religion and sect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of Superstitious Beliefs and Self Efficacy with the Role of Education and SocioEconomic Status; A study at Garrison University Lahore Pakistan

Sehar

Razaq

Kanwal

et al. 2022

PAFMJ

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Objective: To determine the relationship between superstitious beliefs and self-efficacy among participants and explore selfefficacy, age, education, gender and socioeconomic status as the significant predictors of superstitious beliefs among participants. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Garrison University, Lahore Pakistan, from May to Nov 2020. Methodology: Total number of 200 study participants, age ranged of 18 to 50 years, were selected. The questionnaires; (1) a measure to superstitions scale and (2) general self-efficacy scale, were used to analyze the relationship between superstitious beliefs and self-efficacy with the role of ageing, education and socioeconomic status among participants. Result: Out of 200 male and female participants, study results reveal that superstitions belief and self-efficacy were correlated positively in a very small to moderate direction. Moreover, the study result showed that age (β=0.10), gender (β=0.05), socioeconomic status (β=0.91), and self-efficacy (β=0.24) were positively predicting superstitious beliefs while education (β=- 0.09) was negatively predicting the superstitious beliefs among participants. Conclusion: The results of the study showed the positive correlation between superstitious beliefs and self-efficacy among participants. Furthermore, the study concluded that participants' age, gender, socioeconomic status and self-efficacy were positive predictors of superstitious belief.

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“…Tennis champion Rafael Nadal's courtside ritual of carefully lining up several water bottles is emblematic, but similar behaviors are described in most athletes (Dömötör et al, 2016 ) and a significant part of the healthy population (Muris et al, 1997 ). The mechanism by which personal superstitions are established is thought to arise from the (unjustified) reinforcement of purely coincidental associations (Beck and Forstmeier, 2007 ; Daprati et al, 2019 ), a process akin to the reward-based type of learning supported by basal ganglia activity (Doya, 2000 ). In psychiatry, “ repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rules that must be applied rigidly ” (DSM-5, APA, 2013 ) are referred to as compulsions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%