[Hans Blom, 950925b]
(David Wolsk, Sun, 24 Sep 1995 22:45 PDT)
Welcome! Your interests seem to coincide very much with mine. One
discussion that is raging on this list these days -- mainly at my
instigation; some others protest -- is how control systems can deal
with uncertainty and whether they can have expectations. The standard
PCT approach does not embrace these concepts but maybe one day it
will.
I am especially excited by
(1) as a teacher I walked into a classroom one day with the thin
nylon hood of my ski jacket covering my face. I moved silently
amongst the students where the tension produced immediately was
obvious to all despite most being aware of my identity. Our
discussion concerned the unpredictability/anxiety relationship;
In my opinion -- which I can back up with simulations to some extent
-- unpredictability is about not knowing what the result (resulting
perceptions) will be of any choice of action -- including no action,
of course. In other words, no appropriate action is available, one
seems "out of control". This being "out of control" would be what
generates anxiety. Usually one isn't really out of control, of
course...
(2) while sittting in a train at a big railway station, I became
aware of the train on the adjoining track moving ...or was it my
train moving? A few days later, driving a car, approaching a
stoplight, applying the brake with another car alongside, I
suddenly wasn't sure about my rate of deceleration. On the train
I sat with no anxiety while in my car, the uncertainty created
immediate anxiety.
In this familiar case, the perception can have different "interpreta-
tions", again causing unpredictability of what will happen next and
thus of how to take action to keep the goals at their appropriate
levels. The feeling of being out of control seemed, in your case, not
to exist on the train, because you probably had an expectation that
someone else WAS in control of the situation -- that would mean that
you were in control as well. But such is not always the case with
everyone. I know some very annoying back seat drivers...
Good to meet you!
Hans