In this video episode we look at what your bowling style says about you and about human nature in general. Your bowling style actually might say something about how operant conditioning works. Take a look at the video and find out (and by the way, why do you keep pressing that elevator button?).
Watch episode 11 showing how principles of behaviorism can explain your bowling style. Click the video below.
Resources for this episode
- Go to the book Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research
at Amazon.
- Watch a great video on YouTube which shows how the principles of behaviorism were used to train a parakeet to play golf and basketball.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I am presenting a lecture on Positive reinforcement to a social group of dog trainers who help the public develop obedient dogs. I saw your presentation on youtube and would like permission to use it as an introduction to my talk in two weeks time.
Thank you in anticipation.
Fred,
Absolutely. Very interesting use of the video. Feel free. Michael
Another great example of this is the way people rub coins which get rejected by a vending machine against the machines surface before inserting them again – which has no effect whatsover – but seems to “cause” the coin to be accepted by the machine. The funny thing is, even if you know it’s just a stupid superstition you act out, the process still soothes you in a way – at least in my case
I don’t know why exactly, my guess would be that temporary suspension of dis-belief can actually succesfully creates the delusion that you’re doing something worthwhile — and after all it’s better to be superstitious than to hang your luck on the whims of bowling balls, buttons and vending machines! 
I’ve heard about people doing that – rubbing coins against the machine – but I never did it myself. However, I do admit to still pushing the elevator button repeatedly from time to time. It’s so weird!