Fenders Farm

Control Theory: October is the spookiest season of the year and most of us love playing into the season with haunted festivities and scary movies. My favorite thing to do through the month of October is to go to haunted houses. I think the biggest appeal is knowing that you're going to be scared but having so little control over what’s coming at you at any given moment. With understanding Control theories, you realize how much control you really do have in situations.

There are three different types of control theories:

·     Behavioral Control                             

·     Cognitive Control

·     Decisional Control

Making the decision to go to Fenders Farm gives us the ability to control our behavior. Although its easy to feel out of control in the setting of a corn maze, we can control how we behave and navigate the space knowing that scary things are around the corner. Our attitudes towards the environment is also a huge role. 

Entrance Sketch

We exercise Cognitive Control in a corn maze by being able to establish the fact that even though it's scary, it's not real. It’s also possible to make yourself think it’s real and get really spooked. We can control this more by understanding and observing our surroundings. When we observe the surrounding it is easier to see the next spook is coming and its easier to prepare yourself and your reaction.

Decisional Control comes into play the most at the farm. It’s all up to the person on how they physically react to being frightened. Like tonight, my best friends Lindsay, Liv, and Meg took off full sprint when they heard the chain saw man run out of the corn maze towards us. It’s the fight or flight ability that is the most natural reaction.