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

EFFECTS (Law of) 2)

Other things being equal, connections grow stronger if they issue in satisfying states of affairs" (As adapted by E.von GLASERSFELD, 1988, p.224)

This law was enounced by E. L. THORNDIKE in 1911 and was very influencial in behavioral psychology, as well as PAVLOV's conditioning, with which it can be compared.

The law is akin to the Hebb's rule, which is however less radical, and at the same time more precise.

THORNDIKE himself explained his law as follows: "Of several responses made to the same situation, those which are accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal, be more firmly connected with the situation, so that, when it recurs, they will be more likely to recur: those which are accompanied or closely followed by discomfort… will, other things being equal, have their connections with that situation weakened, so that, when it recurs, they will be less likely to occur. The greater the satisfaction or discomfort, the greater the strenghtening or weakening of the bond"

Thorndike duly aknowledges that "… the phrases "result in satisfaction" and "result in discomfort", need further definition, and the "other things" that are to be "equal" need comment…

"By a satisfying state of affairs is meant one which the animal does nothing to avoid, often doing things to attain and preserve it. By a discomforting or annoying state of affairs is meant one which the animal commonly avoids or abandon".

An important comment of THORNDIKE is that: "The satisfying and annoying are not synonymous with favorable or unfavorable to the life of either the animal or the species. Many animals are satisfied by deleterious conditions. Excitement, overeating, and alcoholic intoxication are, for instance, three very common and very potent satisfiers of man".

On the other hand: "Conditions useful to the life of the species in moderation are often satisfying far beyond their useful point; many conditions of great utility to the life of the species do not satisfy and may even annoy its members" (1911, chapter 6).

Moreover, THORNDIKE hypothized that all these effects were results of neuronal activity at the synaptic level. This is impressive as one remembers that his work on these topics was published in 1911, not so long after the basic discoveries of RAMON y CAJAL (1852-1934).

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]


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