Over the past decade, computer games and other interactive technologies have shown great potential when used in innovative ways to enhance learning. It is now known that learning is associated not only with cognitive ability but also with affect. The incorporation of affective embodied pedagogical agents (EPAs) in computer programs for learning…

Research on the use of software programs and tools such as pedagogical agents has peaked over the last decade. Pedagogical agents are on-screen characters that facilitate instruction. This meta-analysis examined the effect of using pedagogical agents on learning by reviewing 43 studies involving 3,088 participants. Analysis of the results…

This document, one of a series of reports examining the possible contribution of other disciplines to evaluation methodology, describes the major elements of general systems theory (GST), cybernetics theory (CT) and management control theory (MCT). The author suggests that MCT encapsulates major concerns of evaluation since it reveals that…

This concise survey of the vast literature currently available in field-of-systems thinking and cybernetics discusses the areas of systems philosophy, systems analysis (mathematical systems theory), empirical systems research, and systems engineering, and outlines contributions of selected scholars. A bibliography of 148 books and papers is…

After examining some elementary notions of action theory and cybernetics, this article analyzes the dynamics, clustering, and survival chances of vicious circles. It argues that the action perspective implies that many structural suboptimalities of organizations are caused by vicious circles. Eleven figures and 105 references are provided. (DCS)

This paper presents evidence that four design principles commonly embodied in artificial knowledge systems are inconsistent with human cognitive capabilities. Because these principles are widely accepted as characteristics of human knowledge processing, common theoretical properties related to cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence which…

Identifies information specialists who employ systems methodology and discusses the modern systems movement, its role in the changing world view of science, disciplines (cybernetics and operations research) that have contributed to its development, and distinctions between General Systems Theory and other approaches to the study of systems.…

Compares machine code with assembler languages, explains the difference between low and high level computer languages, and traces the historical development and special features of the general purpose languages--BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, LISP, ALGOL, Pascal, APL, and PL/1--and special purpose languages--C, FORTH, Modula 2, Smalltalk, PILOT, and…

Expressing the need for a description of communication that is equally applicable to all the social sciences, this report develops a general model of the communication process based upon the principle of convergence as derived from basic information theory and cybernetics. It criticizes the linear, one-way models of communication that have…

Noting that China has undergone tremendous social change in its three decades under the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology, this paper contends that such change has triggered tension that upsets the equilibrium of the entire social system. The paper uses Talcott Parson's cybernetic communication model to explain the societal level changes that have…

Knowledge of the processes involved in visual and auditory perception, as well as basic understanding of the mechanisms employed by the human brain in transforming perceptions into cognitions are prerequisites for the study of television aesthetics. Numerous scientific studies now found in such diversified fields as perceptual psychology,…

Reviews models and theories on effective schooling. Discusses four rationality-based organization theories and a fifth perspective, chaos theory, as applied to organizational functioning. Discusses theory-embedded principles flowing from these theories: proactive structuring, fit, market mechanisms, cybernetics, and self-organization. The…

Synthesizes social construction theory and the Satir approach to family therapy as a process of cocreation of reality, the use of language and narrative, and the therapist's role as a participant-facilitator. Presents a theory-building process of the Satir approach to family therapy. (Author/MKA)

This paper considers alternative assessment, feedback and cybernetics. For more than 30 years, debates about the bi-polarity of formative and summative assessment have served as surrogates for discussions about the workings of the mind, the social implications of assessment and, as important, the role of instruction in the advancement of learning.…

As Information Retrieval (IR) has evolved, it has become a highly interactive process, rooted in cognitive and situational contexts. Consequently the traditional cybernetic-based IR model does not suffice for interactive IR or the human approach to IR. Reviews different views of feedback in IR and their relationship to cybernetic and social…