Habit Reinforcement

["Al Powell" <apowell@agcom.tamu.edu>]

In response to:
> Why [signal]?  There's no one around to see your signal.

Huw Powell sez:
You're never *certain* of that.

Huw, I agree.  I also think there's a very good, but generally 
overlooked, reason to use turn signals even if you're totally alone 
in the middle of the night: you're training your own reflexes.  If I 
change lanes three times in three miles in the middle of the night on 
a desolate TX highway, I will use my signals each time.  Why?  I have 
trained myself to *always* use the turn signals before every lane 
change and before every turn.  Do this long enough, and it takes an 
act of will *not* to use your turn signals. Doesn't matter whether or 
not there's anyone around to see them.

Yeah, I may be (?) a nut!  But I'm a nut who will probably not get 
a ticket for failure to signal, nor cause an accident by failing to 
signal another driver that I'm about to turn or change lanes.  (I can 
still find **other** ways to cause accidents... ;-)

The same is true - at least for me - with cornering technique.  I 
try to take a good, smooth line on every corner, regardless of 
speed.  (Eric's ridden with me through San Antonio in a shabby old 
Dodge van with a horrendous driveline shudder - and he knows I'm not 
always successful...but at least we got out alive...) I try to 
reinforce such good habits by practicing them even when I don't "need 
to".  Shux, my technique is bad enough even when I try to practice 
it!

One kind of habit I've established with regard to turbo Audis - I 
never turn off the ignition key without considering how long I've 
been idling the engine.  That's a habit with some real virtue!

PS: I pulled the fuel pump tonight - now I have to RE-establish the 
habit of breathing air that's not straight unleaded fumes!
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Al Powell, PhD             Ph:  409/845-2807
Ag Communications          Fax: 409/862-1202
Texas A&M University
http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/alpage.htm
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