Models and Theories in Human-Computer Interaction/Norman's Psychology of Everyday Actions, an Example of Wiener's Cybernetics

Norman's Psychology of Everyday Actions, an Example of Wiener's Cybernetics (Valerie Van Ee)

"Cybernetics is the most powerful language for describing systems that have goals," says Paul Pangaro, "That's the purpose of cybernetics. And all of these kinds of systems, technological, social, biological, have goals, so it's the perfect marriage."

Cybernetics is used to describe the "steering" process. All intelligent systems have this process; There is a goal, action is taken, senses the change, compares to the goal, and correct course. This is a continuous loop, a self-correcting mechanism. Without this process, there is no intelligence; there is no way to know when a failure has occurred. Cybernetics is used to describe a self-correcting process that results in stability or equilibrium. Another way to describe cybernetics is a cause, effect, feedback. It is a circular loop. This feedback can be in 2 forms. Positive feedback reinforces or increases the input, whereas negative feedback reduces or opposes the input. Both types of feedback are used to correct the direction or "steer" towards the goal.

Interestingly, I found a good example of a cybernetic process in Norman's Psychology of Everyday Actions (page 46). Norman discusses how everyday actions are the results of formulating a goal, taking action, and checking to make sure the goal was accomplished. This is broken down into 7 stages.


 * 1) Forming the goal
 * 2) Forming the intention
 * 3) Specifying an action
 * 4) Executing the action
 * 5) Perceiving what happened in the world
 * 6) Interpreting or making sense of it
 * 7) Evaluating (comparing what happened to what was wanted)

This is a continuous feedback loop in which the results of one action affect and steer the future actions.