Appendix on research and action possibilities

Computer-aided Visualization of Psycho-social Structures (Part #18)

[Parts: First | Prev | All] [Links: To-K | From-K | From-Kx | Refs ]

1. Require inventories of the resources of the psycho-social system: organizations, concepts, values, problems, roles, life- stylos and psychological states.

2. Require more sophisticated and comprehensive typologies and taxonomies of: organizations, concepts, values, problems, roles, lifestyles and psychological states with particular attention to grey areas and the points where such entities blur into processes or patterns of relationships.

3. Require attention to the functions performed by each type of entity as parts of an eco-system relating to many other parts of that system (to prevent organizational, conceptual or problem "apartheid") i.e. a focus on the relationships between entities.

4. Require a focus on "hooking together" sub-systems of the psycho- social system in a manner which makes the result useful to a wide varvariety of non-research bodies.

5. Require a focus on interdisciplinary relations equivalent to that on international relations -- in fact both are concerned with the balance between coordination and decentralization and the associated problems of territorial security, power and status. The problems of coordination between disciplines and modes of action increase in significance as the boundaries between nations decrease in significance. Specifically a systemantic inventory of disciplines and inter-disciplinary bilateral or multilateral links is required. The significance and measure of inter-disciplinary integration should be as vital as that of international integration.

6. Require a focus on the "maturity" of psycho-social systems as a guide to the formulation of psycho-social indicators and measures of the quality of life. This is particularly important in the case of the individual -- no psycho-social system development can take place without corresponding maturation of the individuals psycho- social processes.

7. Require a focus on the application of cybernetics to psycho-social systems and the representations on displays of subtle relative invariants in dynamic systems. [28]

8. Require a focus on more powerful means of displaying complex eco-systems -- with particular regard to the iconicity of the display to persons with different techniques of visualizing relationships.

9. Require a focus on possible new types of organizations, concepts and problems likely to be significant in dynamic evolving psycho- social systems. In other words, what new Forms of relatively invariant entities are probable vehicles For the evolution of the psycho-social systems.

10. Require a negative inventory of the entities which we need but do not have, or have but do not know, about i.e. need attentiondrawn to what is not known as a stimulus to research e.g. organiza- tions needed, concepts needed, unresolved theoretical problems.

11. Require means of systematically assessing the non-representivity ofa particular program in terms of the possible mix of knowledge skills, organizations, and problems appropriate to a program in the domain in question -- in the light of its known likely effects on other parts o the psycho-social system. In other words, howcan the relevant Factors or skills ignored be highlighted.

12. Require devices which

(i) catalyze integration of information, Facilitate the generation of many more alternative integrative theories, and improves the learning and diffusion process.

(ii) assist the user to switch attention between system and sub- system, but particularly From the system to which he is in any way committed to any more comprehensive or alternative system.

(iii) reduce the cost of storing and displaying indirectly relevant links and structure closer to that of storing and displaying directly relevant links or structures.

(iv) display and "stabilize" the representation of complex eco-systemic structures and relationships in a variety of interconvertible forms (e.g. networks, Venn diagrams, flow charts, etc.) to Facilitate interactions between different types of user.

(v) permit artists to re-interpret eco-systemic structure displays into psychologically more meaningful and involving presentations which nevertheless retain the scientific interrelationships -- as a means of ensuring that sophisticated ideas "travel" further and benefit from the artist's skills as a communicator.

(vi) hold models and data in a way which permits people to "get inside" them so that they provide a meaningful thinking and creativity support system.

(vii) individuals can use to put their thoughts and beliefs on a topic in order and locate areas where mure integrative concept; would be useful.

[Parts: First | Prev | All] [Links: To-K | From-K | From-Kx | Refs ]