Yeah, I don't really get what definition of "superstition" the author is intending here. It seems like "laziness" or "lack of rigor" would be more appropriate terms.
Traditional superstitions include not walking under a ladder, and throwing spilt salt over the left shoulder. "Lack of rigor" would apply to these but "laziness" would not.
Superstition connotes that an act is performed due to faith that it is beneficial or necessary, rather than an understanding of the underlying mechanism or controlled experiments to demonstrate the need.
