[From MK (2015.09.09.0200 CET)]
Old to some, new to others.
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Yin, H. H. (2013). Restoring Purpose in Behavior. In G. Baldassarre, &
M. Mirolli (Eds.), (pp. 319-347). Computational and Robotic Models of
the Hierarchical Organization of Behavior. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
Abstract:
"The dominant paradigm in the study of behavior today is the linear
causation paradigm. This paradigm, inspired by classical physics,
assumes that causes precede effects, that the behavior of organisms is
caused by antecedent events inside and outside the organism, and that
future states such as goals and purposes cannot possibly cause
behavior. It is the basis of the general linear model in psychology
and the input/output analysis in neuroscience. But linear causation
does not apply to any control system with negative feedback. Here I
shall argue that organisms are collections of such negative feedback
systems that control their perceptual inputs. The chief difference
between the behavior of living organisms and that of non-living things
is the presence of control. Rather than the effect of some prior
cause, behavior is the observable manifestation of control in
teleological systems that act on the environment to make inputs match
their internal reference values. The previous rejection of control
theory in the behavioral sciences was largely based on a
misunderstanding of the principles of negative feedback control. I
discuss the types of behavioral control enabled by the hierarchical
organization and the experimental method for testing the controlled
variable."
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Temporary copy of the chapter: http://pct.loopgain.com/Yin2013.pdf
M