BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

CONTIGUITY 2)

← Back

The closeness of elements in space and/or time.

Patterns of interaction are more easily formed among elements which are close to each other in space or time. This is a result of the non-instantaneous propagation of effects and helps explain phenomena like random or causal linkages, clustering, local system's formation, gestalt perception, etc.

Applying this to perception S. ARIETI states "Sense-data experienced together tend to be re-experienced together, if they produced one effect in the organism by the fact of being together. The effect in its turn connects more firmly together the sense-data" (1965, p.109).

However: "The mode of operation by contiguity, which seems at first so Simple, is something which instead requires the solution, through evolutionary mechanisms of a difficult problem… : response of a part versus response to a whole… In normal conditions, whole – perception wins out and the mode of contiguity generally applies to the contiguity of the various parts which form differentiated wholes" (Ibid).

In other words, contiguity is instaured by reinforcement. Moreover, contiguity perception must be the cause or condition of Gestalt construction.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint