# First name of R. McFarland in The first publication about PCT

**URL:** <http://discourse.iapct.org/t/first-name-of-r-mcfarland-in-the-first-publication-about-pct/4425>\
**Category:** CSG2018\
**Created:** [October 21, 2018, 11:21am UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/first-name-of-r-mcfarland-in-the-first-publication-about-pct/4425 "2018-10-21T11:21:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EetuP](http://discourse.iapct.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@EetuP](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/EetuP)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 11:21am UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/first-name-of-r-mcfarland-in-the-first-publication-about-pct/4425/1 "2018-10-21T11:21:08Z")

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Hi all, still one more problem. I am submitting an article to a journal which requires whole names of the writers in the reference list. I mention there the first publication of PCT:

Powers, William T.; Clark, Robert; McFarland, R. 1960 A general feedback theory of human behavior. In: von Bertalanffy, Ludvig.; Rapoport, Anatol. (eds.)  
_General systems: Yearbook of the society for general systems research, 5._  
Michigan: Society for General Systems Research, 63-83.

(actually this is not the first one but a reprint in the same year, but I just found it simpler to refer to this as if just one publication instead of two original articles.)

Kent remembered that R. Clark is Robert, but what is the first name of R. McFarland?

> **···**
>
> Eetu
> 
> **From:** Eetu Pikkarainen  
> **Sent:** Tuesday, October 16, 2018 8:54 AM  
> **To:** ‘csgnet@lists.illinois.edu’ [csgnet@lists.illinois.edu](mailto:csgnet@lists.illinois.edu)  
> **Subject:** RE: The first publication about PCT
> 
> Thank you, and now I have also got the texts!
> 
> Eetu
> 
> **From:** Bruce Nevin [csgnet@lists.illinois.edu](mailto:csgnet@lists.illinois.edu)  
> **Sent:** Monday, October 15, 2018 6:47 PM  
> **To:** csgnet@lists.illinois.edu  
> **Subject:** Re: The first publication about PCT
> 
> The first major publication is 1960.
> 
> [http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1961-02991-001](http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1961-02991-001)
> 
> On Sun, Oct 14, 2018 at 11:34 PM Eetu Pikkarainen [csgnet@lists.illinois.edu](mailto:csgnet@lists.illinois.edu) wrote:
> 
> > Sorry for a question which I could easily solve myself id I only had time just now…  
> > What is the first publication of Powers where he introduces the PCT ideas?  
> > and is it freely available somewhere?
> > 
> > Eetu Pikkarainen  
> > Yliopistonlehtori, KT, dos.  
> > Kasvatustieteiden tiedekunta  
> > Tutkimusryhmä: [https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/theored](https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/theored)  
> > Oulun yliopisto

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**Author:** ![rsmarken](http://discourse.iapct.org/user_avatar/discourse.iapct.org/rsmarken/32/3553_2.png) [@rsmarken](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/rsmarken)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/first-name-of-r-mcfarland-in-the-first-publication-about-pct/4425/2 "2018-10-21T16:27:22Z")

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[Rick Marken 2018-10-21\_09:27:11]

> Hi all, still one more problem. I am submitting an article to a journal which requires whole names of the writers in the reference list. I mention there the first publication of PCT:

> Â

> Powers, William T.; Clark, Robert; McFarland, R. 1960 A general feedback theory of human behavior. In: von Bertalanffy, Ludvig.; Rapoport, Anatol. (eds.)  
> _General systems: Yearbook of the society for general systems research, 5._  
> Michigan: Society for General Systems Research, 63-83.

> (actually this is not the first one but a reprint in the same year, but I just found it simpler to refer to this as if just one publication instead of two original articles.)

> Â

> Kent remembered that R. Clark is Robert, but what is the first name of R. McFarland?

McFarland was also a Robert, I believe. He came to a couple of the early (1986-87) CSG (now IAPCT) meetings and Bill called him “Bob”. By the way, I’m surprised that there have as yet been no comments here on CSGNet about the IAPCT conference at Northwestern. I thought it was a very nice conference – very interesting. I’ll try to say more about it when I get the chance. But I hope that some others who were at the conference will comment on it as well.Â

Best

Rick

Â

> **···**
>
> Richard S. MarkenÂ
> 
> "Perfection is achieved not when you have nothing more to add, but when you  
> have nothing left to take away.�  
> Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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**Author:** ![FredNickols](http://discourse.iapct.org/user_avatar/discourse.iapct.org/frednickols/32/2645_2.png) [@FredNickols](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/FredNickols)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/first-name-of-r-mcfarland-in-the-first-publication-about-pct/4425/3 "2018-10-21T16:48:08Z")

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Fred Nickols (10.21.2018.1248 ET)

A little Googling confirms his first name was Robert.

> **···**
>
> Fred Nickols  
> Distance Consulting LLC  
> “Assistance at A Distance�  
> [www.nickols.us](http://www.nickols.us)