Some PCT IF THEN ELSE Stuff

CSGnet Archive CSG2004
1

Bear with me as I lay out some logic (at least I hope it is)...

IF... Person A says, "I am committed to achieving and maintaining result X"
(X being some objectively measurable condition)

AND... Result X is NOT being achieved or maintained

THEN... Person A is NOT really controlling for X (do "the test" here to
confirm)

ELSE... Person A IS controlling for X but is overwhelmed by disturbances.

I think that covers the basic PCT bases regarding performance.

From a different theoretical vantage point, I would add another ELSE...

ELSE... Person A lacks the behavioral repertoire necessary to achieve and
maintain X (which might be lack of knowledge or of skill). In other words,
even though there might be no insurmountable "disturbances", Person A is
simply incapable of doing what is necessary to achieve and maintain X.

Where does the lack of ability or know-how show up in the PCT scheme of
things? Is it in missing reference signals at lower levels, making it
impossible to control for some higher-level reference signal? Or is it
perhaps in very different basic behavioral capacities (which is why one ball
player might catch a particular fly ball and another miss it)?

To restate the whole thing above in a more condensed form, if someone is
trying to control for X and isn't, is it because they're overwhelmed or is
it simply because they can't?

Performance problems, that is, discrepancies between actual and desired
performance, often take center stage. Right now, I can deal with any and
all aspects of such problems in PCT terms - except for skill and knowledge
(i.e., repertoire) shortcomings. I suspect these would be expressed in PCT
terms partly in terms of missing reference signals but I also think there's
more to it than that.

Comments?

Regards,

Fred Nickols, CPT
Senior Consultant
Distance Consulting
"Assistance at A Distance"
nickols@att.net
www.nickols.us

2

[From Rick Marken (2004.12.09.0940)]

Fred Nickols writes:

Where does the lack of ability or know-how show up in the PCT scheme of
things?

I think it shows up as control systems that have not yet become organized so
as to be able to control a particular variable. The lack of "know how" can
show up in some or all of the functions in a control loop, but I think it
most likely involves the input and/or output functions (rather than the
comparator). A system that lacks the ability to control X either does not
perceive X and/or it does not act appropriately based on the size of the
discrepancy between the actual and desired state of X.

To restate the whole thing above in a more condensed form, if someone is
trying to control for X and isn't, is it because they're overwhelmed or is
it simply because they can't?

It could be either one. You could tell which it is if you could reduce the
magnitude of disturbances to X and see if control of X returns. If there is
control of X when the magnitude of disturbance variations is reduced, then
the lack of control was due to being overwhelmed by the disturbance rather
than because the controller can't control X.

Performance problems, that is, discrepancies between actual and desired
performance, often take center stage. Right now, I can deal with any and
all aspects of such problems in PCT terms - except for skill and knowledge
(i.e., repertoire) shortcomings. I suspect these would be expressed in PCT
terms partly in terms of missing reference signals but I also think there's
more to it than that.

I think this is what is conventionally called a learning problem. Lack of
ability to control a variable (under conditions where other people can
control the variable just fine) represents a lack of skill. And the only way
to develop skill is through practice (which, according to PCT, allows
reorganization to occur). If you want to control X and can't you just have
to keep trying. PCT does suggest some ways to coach people through such
training that may be more effective than other ways. For example, training
should be facilitated by trying to focus the student's attention more on the
perception(s) to be produced than on the actions (variations in lower level
perceptions) that can be used to produce those perceptions.

Best regards

Rick

ยทยทยท

---
Richard S. Marken
MindReadings.com
Home: 310 474 0313
Cell: 310 729 1400

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