Control Systems

Systems want to self-regulate otherwise they cannot survive.

Think of walking. Walking has been described as controlled falling. In other words, when standing, humans are basically balancing on two feet. If not for very finely tuned sensors in our ears and micro-adjustments of our muscles (which we do unconsciously) we would not be able to stand without swaying or falling. People who experience inner ear infections, or other ear problems, will experience vertigo, which essentially is the loss of our ability to regulate our upright posture.

Self-regulation can also be applied to learning. In the book FLOW: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi flow in life is experienced when you are learning something that is just challenging enough to be interesting without being overwhelming, and where the learner receives feedback about what he or she is learning. When a good teacher says: "Terry, you did very well on concept A, but you need some work on Concept B" it helps focus the student and also motivates because now he or she knows exactly what the next challenge is.

Next: Review of Cybernetics