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Describes a functional‐structural scheme of cybernetic or control systems. Analyses, from the evolutionary point of view, some fundamental problems of evolutionary cybernetics (EC) or Evolutionary Cybernetic Systems Theory (ECST). Discusses Norbert Wiener’s cardinal idea that information is a measure of order in contrast with entropy (of thermodynamics) as a measure of disorder, and that, therefore, control, communication and other phenomena of informational nature are means, ways, forms, methods and manifestations of cybernetic systems’ struggle against their (internal) physical entropy, this peculiar character of such systems being expressed in their principal structures and functions.

The purpose of this paper is to determine if there is value in performing studies comparing a cybernetic approach over a traditional teaching approach in regards to improved pre-school tuition.

A two independent groups design was implemented with each group receiving a different treatment. The first group had their lesson presented in the traditional teaching approach while the second group were part of a cybernetic approach. After each group had their lesson, each child was assessed and asked a series of ten questions. The total correct answers for the traditional group was compared to the total correct answers of the cybernetic group. The results were statistically examined using a t-test and Pearson r correlation.

The group who took part in the cybernetic lesson had a 46 per cent increase in the total number of correct answers. The cybernetic approach to the pre-school lesson was an improvement in terms of memory retention. This initial study justifies a series of further experimental designs.

This study provides a basis for further studies of comparative educational approaches to pre-school education and learner memory performance. A cybernetic approach to pre-school instruction has a lot to offer and is especially beneficial for children who are learning language, whether first or second language. This is a model to develop further, for use in the teaching-learning environment.

The use of Teachback within a pre-school context may have additional benefits such as improved language acquisition through additional practice of verbal expression. A practical method of addressing the challenge of cybernetics training was also presented in this study.

When the Teachback is performed, the person creates a verbal expression based on their language and background. As the Teachback occurs in a social context amongst peers, an opportunity for an exploration into the diverse backgrounds of the individual pre-school children can take place, especially beneficial when in a multi-cultural setting.

There are few cybernetics studies conducted on pre-school aged children. This is the first study whereby cybernetic tools such as Teachback have been used in pre-school education.

The synthesis of cybernetics and general systems theory makes it possible to formulate the concept of cybernetic evolution, considered as the higher stage of an anti‐entropic evolution universe. In this broad framework, it is possible to draw epistemological conclusions and implications. These concern the essence of cognition and knowledge, and directedness and the main stages of epistemic evolution, as well as classes and forms of cognitive mechanisms and processes. The three stages of cognition, the biological, the sociological or societal, and the technological, are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the two subjects, cybernetics and design, in order to establish and demonstrate a relationship between them. It is held that the two subjects can be considered complementary arms of each other.

The two subjects are each characterised so that the author's interpretation is explicit and those who know one subject but not the other are briefed. Cybernetics is examined in terms of both classical (first‐order) cybernetics, and the more consistent second‐order cybernetics, which is the cybernetics used in this argument. The paper develops by a comparative analysis of the two subjects, and exploring analogies between the two at several levels.

A design approach is characterised and validated, and contrasted with a scientific approach. The analogies that are proposed are shown to hold. Cybernetics is presented as theory for design, design as cybernetics in practice. Consequent findings, for instance that both cybernetics and design imply the same ethical qualities, are presented.

The research implications of the paper are that, where research involves design, the criteria against which it can be judged are far more Popperian than might be imagined. Such research will satisfy the condition of adequacy, rather than correctness. A secondary outcome concerning research is that, whereas science is concerned with what is (characterised through the development of knowledge of (what is)), design (and by implication other subjects primarily concerned with action) is concerned with knowledge for acting.

The theoretical validity of second‐order cybernetics is used to justify and give proper place to design as an activity. Thus, the approach designers use is validated as complementary to, and placed on an equal par with, other approaches. This brings design, as an approach, into the realm of the acceptable. The criteria for the assessment of design work are shown to be different from those appropriate in other, more traditionally acceptable approaches.

For approximately 40 years, there have been claims that cybernetics and design share much in common. This was originally expressed through communication criteria, and by the use of classical cybernetic approaches as methods for use in designing. This paper argues a much closer relationship between cybernetics and design, through consideration of developments in cybernetics not available 40 years ago (second‐order cybernetics) and through examining the activity at the heart of the design act, whereas many earlier attempts have been concerned with research that is much more about assessment, prescription and proscription.

This paper considers the part played by entropy in systems pertaining to discontinuous flow industries. The main principle is that parts or the whole of the economy can be considered to be cybernetic systems. Various assumptions are then made concerning the relationships between industrial cybernetic systems and entropy. It is thus found that in discontinuous flow industries the main objective is a reduction in entropy engendered by the relations between the component systems. The author notes the close connection between entropy and management decisions, and draws some conclusions about optimizing industrial systems.

When reviewing the prospectus of mainstream universities that offer psychology majors, one would be hard-pressed to find any cybernetic approaches included in their course material. This is an unfortunate observation as most psychological problems arise in a relational context. Reasons for this status quo are presented. The purpose of this paper is to reduce obstacles for prospective learners in cybernetic psychology, with the hope that cybernetic psychology may be assimilated and seen as an equal footing paradigm in mainstream psychology teachings.

A popular cybernetics web site is often used by students who are learning cybernetic psychology. Using the responses from students who frequent the online resource, solutions are presented based on the questions that students have asked the author of the site.

Students are taught different therapy paradigms in terms of models; the psychodynamic model, the medical model, the person-centred model; the systems model and so forth. Their position to the model is external and they can critically evaluate the different models and apply each model in an interpretation and analysis of various psychology case studies. Cybernetic psychology becomes problematic when that line of thinking is used.

Cybernetic psychology stands as an ethical choice for therapy. Reducing the boundaries for cybernetic therapies to be assimilated in the mainstream context, especially if offered by universities as an equal footing paradigm, which would be in keeping with the WHO's call for responsible ethical therapy interventions.

There is limited information on how to perform cybernetic psychology. This is understandable owing to the nature of cybernetics; however, reliable and stable approaches should still be available for students who are new to this epistemology. There needs to be an entering point into this way of thinking so that cybernetic psychology remains accessible to newcomers.

The approach is based on an evolutionary interpretation of the fundamental concepts of cybernetics, general systems theory, information theory, theory of automata, autopoiesis, etc. In the author's view, this enables us to formulate principles of the evolutionary theory of cybernetic systems which is visualised as the theory of structures, functions and evolution of cybernetic or control systems. This suggests a heuristic idea of cybernetic evolution as the higher stage of negentropic universal evolution of open systems.

The cybernetic theory of the stochastic process, introduced by Madan in 1978, is presented in terms of basic concepts; the cybernetic random variable (CRV); and the cybernetic random walk (CRW). Discusses the concept of the cybernetic queueing system for communication purposes.

Research was conducted in order to identify behaviours that improve a system viability in a complex, chaotic and volatile world. The purpose of this paper is to explain why complex cybernetic systems must be authentic over time in order to maximise their viability in a complex, chaotic and volatile world.

In total, eight faculty staff from the Thunderbird School of Global Management were interviewed around the subject of “being a successful 21st century leader”. These interviews were analysed using Ricoeur's hermeneutic methodology which resulted in three behaviours being identified: be authentic, open and transparent; these behaviours were then deep interpreted according to Ricoeur's methodology using cybernetic principles. This is an innovative piece of research that brings together phenomenology, cybernetics and leadership studies but it is also limited by being a new approach.

Complex cybernetic systems must be authentic because authentic behaviour nurtures the system's identity and ensures that it is able to consistently generate a clear goal signal. It is also proposed that authenticity is important for coping with the “law of variety” by acting as an amplification mechanism.

The research implication is that it is possible to identify behaviours to improve the viability of all complex cybernetic systems.

The work is highly original because it provides a cybernetic explanation for why authentic behaviour is necessary. As far as the author is aware, no work has yet combined cybernetics with leadership behaviours and provided a cogent explanation for why authenticity is so important for system viability. The value of this work is that it clearly shows the value of authentic behaviour by showing how and why authentic behaviour improves system viability and how inauthentic behaviour harms system viability.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze cybernetic necessities of output‐side attention directing systems, i.e. how systems can decide to act towards one of various inputs.

Complex pattern recognition and sequence learning systems may recognize more than one pattern and deliver more than one output at a point in time. Therefore, they require an output‐side attention directing system to decide to act towards just one pattern. The necessary cybernetic structures of such systems are analyzed using a functional approach.

An output‐side attention directing system has to evaluate the effect of current observations (patterns, sequences, etc.) on highest level goal‐values (in a living system these are existential goal‐values like a body temperature or energy supply). Measure of this effect is the degree of goal‐approximation towards these goal‐values. This measure can either be preprogrammed for some patterns or sequences, or has to be determined in trial and error processes for new patterns or sequences learned by the system.

The paper shows the cybernetic necessities of the development of the “know how” of sequence learning systems in time, starting with default behavior, via learning new patterns and sequences, and trial and error to develop goal‐orientated actions towards them, until finally the achieved results enable experience based directing of attention.

The paper shows basic cybernetic structures and functions for output‐side attention directing systems required for all complex pattern recognition and sequence learning systems.