Interdisciplinary Handbook of Perceptual Control Theory Volume II: Living in the Loop brings together the latest research, theory, and applications from W. T. Powers’ Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) that proposes that the behavior of a living organism lies in the control of perceived aspects of both itself and its environment. Sections cover theory, the application of PCT to a broad range of disciplines, why perceptual control is fundamental to understanding human nature, a new way to do research on brain processes and behavior, how the role of natural selection in behavior can be demystified, how engineers can emulate human purposeful behavior in robots, and much more. Each chapter includes an author biography to set the context of their work within the development of PCT. Presents case studies that show how PCT can be applied in different disciplines Illustrates the Test for the Controlled Variable (TCV) and the construction of functional models as fruitful alternatives to mainstream experimental design when studying behavior Shows how theory illuminates structure and functions in brain anatomy Compares and contrasts PCT with other contemporary, interdisciplinary theories

Given the fundamental challenges to society in this era, a radical rewrite of how we approach science and culture is necessary. This handbook applies Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) to achieve a much needed convergence across the physical, life and social sciences, the humanities and arts. In doing so it addresses challenges such as mental illness, dementia, cancer care, toxic masculinity and societal oppression. It also reveals how PCT can be applied to practical issues such as understanding healthcare service implementation and human-machine interaction, as well as deeper questions such as consciousness and imagination. This second volume of the successful interdisciplinary handbook offers rich examples of how the unifying perceptual control framework can provide a viable alternative to existing theories and methodologies for a timely paradigm shift. Examines the relationship between our perceptions, consciousness, and imagination Provides computational and mathematical models for physiological systems, such as human movement, human-machine interaction, and psychological processes such as recovery from mental health problems Presents health as control which leads to game-changing suggestions in designing interventions for health behavior, cancer support, care for dementia, and mental health services Helps readers comprehend goals of teachers and students in education from a PCT perspective to show how educative interactions could be less coercive and foster flourishing The value of PCT is demonstrated in understanding cultural memes and social challenges such as toxic masculinity

Health Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies reflects and expands upon 13 of the most innovative contributions to the field from researchers such as Friedman and Rosenman, Marmot, Kiecolt-Glaser, and Ajzen. This book will familiarise you with the classic studies, spanning a period from the 1950s to 2010s, and show you how they continue to apply to the world today. Revisiting the Classic Studies is a series of texts that introduces readers to the studies in psychology that changed the way we think about core topics in the discipline today. It provokes students to ask more interesting and challenging questions about the field by encouraging a deeper level of engagement both with the details of the studies themselves and with the nature of their contribution. Edited by leading scholars in their field and written by researchers at the cutting edge of these developments, the chapters in each text provide details of the original works and their theoretical and empirical impact, and then discuss the ways in which thinking and research have advanced in the years since the studies were conducted. Mark Tarrant is Professor at the University of Plymouth Martin S. Hagger is Professor at the University of California, Merced and Finland Distinguished Professor (FiDiPro) at University of Jyväskylä.

This book proposes and explores the idea that the forced union of the aleatory and epistemic aspects of probability is a sterile hybrid, inspired and nourished for 300 years by a false hope of formalizing inductive reasoning, making uncertainty the object of precise calculation. Because this is not really a possible goal, statistical inference is not, cannot be, doing for us today what we imagine it is doing for us. It is for these reasons that statistical inference can be characterized as a myth. The book is aimed primarily at social scientists, for whom statistics and statistical inference are a common concern and frustration. Because the historical development given here is not merely anecdotal, but makes clear the guiding ideas and ambitions that motivated the formulation of particular methods, this book offers an understanding of statistical inference which has not hitherto been available. It will also serve as a supplement to the standard statistics texts. Finally, general readers will find here an interesting study with implications far beyond statistics. The development of statistical inference, to its present position of prominence in the social sciences, epitomizes a number of trends in Western intellectual history of the last three centuries, and the 11th chapter, considering the function of statistical inference in light of our needs for structure, rules, authority, and consensus in general, develops some provocative parallels, especially between epistemology and politics.

This book describes psychological research methods that treat the behavior of living organisms as purposeful rather than mechanical.

This volume is the first comprehensive and single-authored book on the functions of the basal ganglia. The goal is to provide a new synthesis of diverse areas of research on the basal ganglia, from cellular mechanisms of synaptic transmission and plasticity to neural circuit mechanisms underlying behavior. A global theory of basal ganglia function incorporating research from the last 40 years is presented. I hope to explain for the first time how the basal ganglia generate behavior, how they contribute to learning and memory, and how impairments in basal ganglia function can lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Features The only single-authored book on the basal ganglia with coverage of the latest literature Spans multiple levels of analysis, from cellular physiology to behavior Includes coverage of clinical symptoms, encompassing neuropsychology, movement disorders, and psychiatric disorders Discusses the role of the basal ganglia in learning and memory

This book considers how principles derived from a theory of human behaviour - Perceptual Control Theory - can be applied to create mental health services that are more effective, efficient, and humane. Authored by clinicians, academics, and experts-by-experience, the text explores the way Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) principles can be applied within the secondary mental healthcare system – from the overall commissioning and design of services to the practice of individual clinicians. A range of topics relevant to the delivery of secondary mental healthcare are covered, including community and inpatient working, the delivery of individual psychological therapy, the use of restrictive practices, and working with relatives and carers. The book concludes by describing PCT’s unique contribution to the field of mental healthcare. The book, one of the first of its kind, will be of interest to students and practitioners from a range of health and social care backgrounds, as well as service managers, commissioners, academics, and policy makers. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

All students and researchers of behaviour – from those observing freely-behaving animals in the field to those conducting more controlled laboratory studies – face the problem of deciding what exactly to measure. Without a scientific framework on which to base them, however, such decisions are often unsystematic and inconsistent. Providing a clear and defined starting point for any behavioural study, this is the first book to make available a set of principles for how to study the organisation of behaviour and, in turn, for how to use those insights to select what to measure. The authors provide enough theory to allow the reader to understand the derivation of the principles, and draw on numerous examples to demonstrate clearly how the principles can be applied. By providing a systematic framework for selecting what behaviour to measure, the book lays the foundations for a more scientific approach for the study of behaviour.

The Riddle of Organismal Agency brings together historians, philosophers, and scientists for an interdisciplinary re-assessment of one of the long-standing problems in the scientific understanding of life. Marshalling insights from diverse sciences including physiology, comparative psychology, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology, the book provides an up-to-date survey of approaches to non-human organisms as agents, capable of performing activities serving their own goals such as surviving or reproducing, and whose doings in the world are thus to be explained teleologically. From an Integrated History and Philosophy of Science perspective, the book contributes to a better conceptual and theoretical understanding of organismal agency, advancing some suggestions on how to study it empirically and how to frame it in relation to wider scientific and philosophical traditions. It also provides new historical entry points for examining the deployment, trajectories, and challenges of agential views of organisms in the history of biology and philosophy. This book will be of interest to philosophers of biology; historians of science; biologists interested in analysing the active roles of organisms in development, ecological interactions, and evolution; philosophers and practitioners of the cognitive sciences; and philosophers and historians of philosophy working on purposiveness and teleology.