This week proved to be the worst in for the year. I have now been unsuccessful in finding any silver coins for 2 weeks straight. With these types of returns one begs the question of whether or not this hobby is really worthwhile. 
One could make reference to the works of B.F. Skinner to explain why so many of us continue to do this. If you will forgive the comparison, what we do is very similar to the responses seen in the pigeons studied by B.F. Skinner. Basically, we are just like the rats who push a button to release a pellet of food. It's a variable ratio schedule, where we don't know how much we will need to search before we get our reward. However we know there is a reward, so we keep on searching (pushing the button) until the reward is released (i.e., we find silver).
This form of operant conditioning is one of the easiest to form in lab test animals, and also has a very high resistance to extinction. Which explains why people continue to hunt for silver even if they have been 'skunked' for many weeks straight.
Alright enough with the psycho-babble. This week wasn't a complete bust. I was able to find a 1903 victory nickel. I thought it was a penny at first because the color was so different from the other nickels.
Will I continue to hunt for silver? Yes. :)
Let me know what you think.
If you feel your hobby isn't just some real-world version of a classic psychology experiment...
Leave a comment!
I think it's more like gambling. You never know when you might strike it rich. The best part is, you can't lose, only win!
ReplyDeleteYou can't win if you don't play. I haven't had much luck these past couple weeks. Hopefully things will get better over the next couple weeks.
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