Superstition

thumb|right|165px|Black cats are often the subject of superstition.
Superstition is the idea that supernatural mechanisms affect outcomes in the natural world. It comes from the Latin superstitio, or "standing over",http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=superstition&allowed_in_frame=0 which can imply a force standing over one's actions. The issue of control, and gaining control over a situation, is something that is often raised in the matter of superstitious beliefs.
==Definition==
Superstition is defined in one paper by drawing upon the American Heritage Dictionary as "beliefs that are inconsistent with the known laws of nature or with what is generally considered rational in a society";"The Effect of Superstitious Beliefs on Consumer Judgments" by Thomas Kramer & Lauren Block (2007) Advances in Consumer Research 34: 634-635. but is also discussed as "a causation between behaviour and outcome when none actually exists" by Rudski and Edwards"Malinowski goes to college: factors influencing students' use of ritual and superstition" by J. M. Rudski & A. Edwards J. Gen. Psychol. 2007 Oct;134(4):389-403. doi: 10.3200/GENP.134.4.389-404. and even more broadly as "irrational practices".The Psychology of Superstition by Gustav Jahoda (1971). Pelican Books. ISBN 0140212035.
==Research==
Some early research into superstition included the popular work by B.F. Skinner (1947) on pigeons. According to Skinner, the "accidental pairing of a random act of the pigeon was enough to reinforce these idiosyncratic behaviours… the birds were dancing around the chamber as if their movements caused the operation of the feeder".Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition by Stuart A. Vyse (1997) Oxford University Press, p.71, ISBN 0195078829. This involves the psychological concepts of discriminative stimulus and partial reinforcement — the "pigeon" is doing what works for them, because it worked before or maybe they’ve seen it happen with others who succeeded.
Partial reinforcement with lucky charms or ritualistic behaviour is seen in many scenarios beyond the humble examination room; some of the more popularly known include sporting rituals — a fixed sequence of actions like how you put on your batting gloves (e.g., in the case of baseball player Nomar Garciaparra), or wearing "lucky gear". It even extends to group mentality with people watching the game. If the "lucky" ritual precedes success long enough, failure to execute it will cause distress and actually impede your performance. Likewise, a superstitious practice, ineffective in itself, might increase performance solely by boosting confidence. This reinforces superstitions by making the superstitious practice a self-fulfilling prophecy. The effect is similar to that of a placebo.
A broad definition is often favoured; defining it as "wrong ideas about reality" can cover not only those self-created by an individual (like that of a dancing pigeon) but also those transmitted culturally, or, as some try to argue in more recent studies, genetically inherited.
==In a nutshell==
QualiaSoup explains some of the fundamental weaknesses in superstitious thinking.
==See also==
*Magic
*Magical thinking
*Supernatural
*Folklore
*Luck
*Curse
*Post hoc, ergo propter hoc
*Correlation does not imply causation
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==References==
Category:Psychology
Category:Superstition
Category:Folklore