# gap between error and action

**URL:** <http://discourse.iapct.org/t/gap-between-error-and-action/13867>\
**Category:** CSG1996\
**Created:** [February 19, 1996, 4:15pm UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/gap-between-error-and-action/13867 "1996-02-19T16:15:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stefan\_Balke](http://discourse.iapct.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Stefan\_Balke](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/Stefan_Balke)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 1996, 4:15pm UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/gap-between-error-and-action/13867/1 "1996-02-19T16:15:12Z")

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> From Stefan Balke (960219.1630 MEZ)

Rick Marken encouraged me in a privat post to ask my questions on the net.  
Here is one of them.

I posted to Rick:

I know from myself, that I want to do the "right decisions", I control for  
"right decisions". In order to do so, I guess based on my experiences and on  
the available situational informations, which of the possible alternatives  
would be the best for me to reach my goal. I do not calculate anything, but  
I have to \_decide\_, which (counter-)action I will carry out. Steering the  
wheel is a very direct behavior, but deciding which route will be the  
fastest at a special daytime is a more complicated process.  
My question is, how the thought to be best of the possible counteractions is  
detected.

Rick answered to me:

> > I know from myself, that I want to do the "right decisions", I control for  
> > "right decisions".
> 
> This is a very interesting situation. I do it too, of course. But I don't  
> think I am controlling when I do it; when we consciously have to decide  
> something, we are \_hoping\_ to get the desired results, perhaps even  
> \_expecting\_ to get the desired results but, unless we are in control, we  
> are not necessarily \_going\_ to get the desired results. I'm sure you will  
> find this difficult to accept; but I think if you look carefully at what  
> you accomplish with your conscious decisions you will see that conscious  
> decision making occurs only when ypu are not firmly in control.
> 
> This has been discussed before on the net; I think it's worth it to bring it  
> up again.

I´ll add the following question to make my request a little clearer.  
Since everything we do (and think) is control (as Rick told to me in an  
earlier direct post - and I agree with this view), it should be possible to  
describe the process of conscious decision making as a (H)PCT negative  
feedback model. I´m interested to know, how a PCT-model for making concious  
decisions would look like.

Kent McClelland [960215.1445 CST] has pointed out

> We control our perceptions, not our actions.  
> In order to control a perception . . .  
> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We must have a memory or mental model of what we want (OUR REFERENCE

STANDARDS).

> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our PHYSICAL ACTIONS must affect the thing to be controlled.  
> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We need PERCEPTUAL FEEDBACK about to the thing to be controlled.
> 
> We act to correct the errors when our current perceptions don't match our  
> reference standards.

I agree with this statements, but I want to know, how we close the gap  
between the mismatch and the selected action.

Best

Stefan

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**Author:** ![Kent\_McClelland2](http://discourse.iapct.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@Kent\_McClelland2](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/Kent_McClelland2)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 1996, 4:35pm UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/gap-between-error-and-action/13867/2 "1996-02-20T16:35:31Z")

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[From Kent McClelland 960220.1045 CST]

Stefan Balke (960219.1630 MEZ)

> Kent McClelland [960215.1445 CST] has pointed out
> 
> > We control our perceptions, not our actions.  
> > In order to control a perception . . .  
> > &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We must have a memory or mental model of what we want (OUR REFERENCE
> 
> STANDARDS).
> 
> > &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our PHYSICAL ACTIONS must affect the thing to be controlled.  
> > &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We need PERCEPTUAL FEEDBACK about to the thing to be controlled.
> > 
> > We act to correct the errors when our current perceptions don't match our  
> > reference standards.
> 
> I agree with this statements, but I want to know, how we close the gap  
> between the mismatch and the selected action.

Stephan, as I see it, the gap isn't between the mismatch and the selected  
action, but between our current perception and the reference standard we're  
using. Our control loop operates to select an action that will close the  
perceptual gap. If we're successfully controlling our perception, we're  
continually closing that gap (most of the way, at least). The course of  
action we select opposes the moment-to-moment disturbances in the  
environment and keeps the controlled environmental variable (CEV) stably in  
line with our reference standard. Our action isn't the thing being  
controlled (made stable), because it has to be constantly changing to cope  
with the constant changes in the environmental disturbances we encounter.  
If we always did exactly the same thing in response to every disturbance,  
our perceptions would go out of control and end up varying wildly because  
of the changing disturbances (unless we happen to be in a highly  
"controlled" environment, like those the engineers try to provide for  
industrial robots).

This is a pretty basic PCT idea. Does it make sense to you?

Kent

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**Author:** ![Stefan\_Balke](http://discourse.iapct.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Stefan\_Balke](http://discourse.iapct.org/u/Stefan_Balke)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 1996, 11:55am UTC](http://discourse.iapct.org/t/gap-between-error-and-action/13867/3 "1996-02-22T11:55:18Z")

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> From Stefan Balke (960222.1230 MEZ)

Kent McClelland (960220.1045 CST)

> Stephan, as I see it, the gap isn't between the mismatch and the selected  
> action, but between our current perception and the reference standard we're  
> using.

I agree with the idea that (mostly) there is a gap between the current  
perception and the reference standard and that this gap is called the error  
or perceptual gap. I meant another gap, the gap between an error value  
unequal zero and the selection of an action, which might be called the  
selection gap.

> Our control loop operates to select an action that will close the  
> perceptual gap.

I was asking for this: How exactly does a control loop operate to select an  
action that will close the perceptual gap. Do you or do any other  
PCT-theorists have an idea?

> This is a pretty basic PCT idea. Does it make sense to you?

Yes, I confess, it makes great sense for me ;-). You are right, I´m a  
newcomer to PCT, but I already learned the basic lessons and am now trying  
to close my knowledge-gaps.

Best regards

Stefan