What is this about??

Our website shows two main themes: types of love (Stenberg), and Skinner´s theory about positive/negative punishments and reinforcement. Although we can see also see other concepts seen in class, being represented in the story, just like: coping styles from the biosociophyscocultural theory by Díaz ( Fanny´s way of solving or facing her problems/difficulties ), external personality influences, …
Fanny gets to experience by herself some kinds of love, while she is surrounded by other kinds. She also faces certain problems, towards which she reacts differently according to each situation.
This project allows us to know for certain that we understood the concepts seen in class in a different way. We are now capable of explaining the concepts previously chosen from class, using clear examples.
We took some pages from our character, a young girl called Fanny, to as examples of different types of love. She is the younger sister of a four member family : mom, dad, Steve (older brother), and her. Fanny is going through many experiences while growing up, and each thing affects the forming of her personality. We based ourselves mainly in some of the things we are living as teenagers. Fanny is a representation of what most teenagers go through: problems, joy, difficulties, new experiences, …
For Skinner´s theory on behaviorism (punishments/reinforcements), we took some everyday experiences some of the team members have gone through.
We chose these topics because we felt quite familiar with them. We were able to identify each aspect in our lives and so it was fun and interesting to analyze them by doing the webpage.

Skinner's experiment!

The Rat Experiment

A hungry rat is placed in a semi-soundproof box. For several days bits of food are occasionally delivered into a tray by an automatic dispenser. The rat soon goes to the tray immediately upon hearing the sound of the dispenser. A small horizontal section of a lever located on the wall has been resting in its lowest position, but it is now raised slightly so that when the rat touches it, it moves down. When doing so, it closes an electric circuit and operates the food dispenser. Immediately after eating the food that was delivered, the rat begins to press the lever fairly rapidly. The behavior has been strengthened or reinforced by a single consequence.

Reinforcers may be positive or negative. A positive reinforcer reinforces when it is presented and a negative when it is withdrawn. Reinforcers always strengthen or increase the probability that a certain action is repeated, that is what "reinforced" means. Punishment is used to suppress a certain behavior. It consists of removing a positive reinforcer ( negative punishment ) or presenting something “bad” for the person. Generally, the punished person then acts in ways which reduce the threat of a second punishment since they stop the punished action so they do not suffer the punishment again.

Notes!!!

Biographical Data

B. F. Skinner was born on March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, a small railroad town in the hills of Pennsylvania just below Binghamton, New York. With one younger brother, he grew up in a home environment he described as "warm and stable".

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones

At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.
Plato

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost

If you have it [Love], you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have.
Sir James M. Barrie

Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
Henry Louis Mencken

Love is a friendship set to music.
E. Joseph Cossman

True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.
Erich Segal

Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.
Voltaire

Understanding Skinner!!!

Personal experience


- In our personal opinion, punishments are more effective than reinforcements. For example, when you disobey my mom by doing something without her permission, I can either get a positive or a negative punishment. Whether she takes away the trust she had on you, or she forbids to go to a certain party. I can assure you, non of us want either of these things to happen to us. As the actual definition tells us, the chances that we disobey again are reduced so much after we experience the punishment. As we already now what could happen if we do a certain action, we are able to choose our way. That is the main essence of reinforcement’s and punishment’s influence on us. On the other hand, reinforcement also affects us, but we have come to the conclusion that teenagers are more vulnerable or predictable to respond towards a punishment than a reinforcement. But that does not mean they do not have a big effect on us. For example, one of the team members works very hard to get good grades because he will get the car he wants if he does, another member wants to get good grades to get her parent’s pride.

Learning through a Diary!!!

Diary Pieces ( Love Types )


November 4th

Dear Diary:

I´m so happy right now! Today, the guy I like from school asked me of I wanted to be his girldfriend! Of course I said yes! I´m really excited because he is a very handsome boy . . I really like him physically, but I also like his personality so much! We can talk for hours and I will never get bored! I feel I can tell him everything and I hope he feels the same way about me. That makes me feel loved and safe. I really hope our relationship lasts for a long time . . and who knows, maybe we will get married!!
Finally we stopped just liking each other and talking for hours , just as friends. Now, we are ready to build up a more “formal” relationship!

Fanny

(Consummate Love)
(Romantic Love)



April 16th

Dear Diary:

My grandparents are not what they used to be. It feels so sad to see that they do not love each other anymore . .at least, not as much as they used to. The good thing of all these, is that they want to keep together to protect our family, and they get along very well. They seem to be a couple of friends than a couple of lovers, but I guess that they have spent so many years together that they are just going through another stage of life, physical attraction is just for them anymore.

Fanny

(Companionate Love)


Dear Diary:

Today I had such a great day at school! I had the best of times with my friends. We are always laughing and goofing around, enjoying our youth. I know time goes very fast so I want to enjoy every moment to the fullest. I feel so lucky for having such good friends! They are there for me whenever I need them, they give me advice and they listen to me . . besides of all the fun stuff we do together! It is just great! On the other hand, I feel bad for a girl on my class because she has no friends. Everyone says that she is a very selfish person and that is why we don’t like her. It must feel very bad that nobody wants to be your friend.

Fanny
(Friendship)
(Non-Love)




Dear Diary:

My brother and me had a long talk today. We started discussing about how a relationship should be, and it was quite interesting to see how different his opinions may be from mine. He told me that he was really happy with his new girlfriend. But then, he confessed that he is having a relationship with another girl! I was shocked! I asked him that how was it possible for him to be cheating on his girlfriend like that. When he explained, I realized how different his point of view was. He also wants to live life to the fullest like me, but for him to achieve that, he feels that he must live many things and so he is curious and wants to have a lot experiences. What a shock!

Fanny

(Infatuated Love)



Dear Diary:


Mom and dad have changed so much .. they do not have a real couple relationship anymore. I feel so sad .. sometimes I think they are just together to safe the family. I wish they could be like they used to be . . but I guess there is nothing me or my brother can do. The only thing holding them together is us . . and so they will keep as a couple, although they don’t have feeling for each other anymore. I don’t want this to happen to me.

Fanny

(Empty Love)

This "test" actually was made by Robert Sterberg a psychologist that created the Triangular Theory of Love, that characterizes love in an interpersonal relationship on three different scales: intimacy, passion and commitment. Different stages and types of love can be explained as different combinations of these three elements.

Wanna know the type of love??

Follow this table asking yourselve if in your relationship there is intimacy? commitment? or passion?