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Functional Constructivism: In Search of Formal Descriptors
1McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences
|September 20, 2017
Summary
Functional Constructivism (FC) offers a new paradigm for understanding behavior, viewing it as dynamically generated. This study proposes formal descriptors for evolutionary and developmental processes, conceptualizing diagonal evolution (di-evolution).
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Evolutionary Biology
- Systems Theory
Background:
- Behaviorism traditionally explains behavior through external stimuli.
- Functional Constructivism (FC) posits behavior arises dynamically from individual capacities, environment, and demands.
- Walter Freeman's research supports FC principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To draw parallels between individual behavior formation and biological evolution.
- To propose formal descriptors for construction processes in systems.
- To introduce the concept of diagonal evolution (di-evolution).
Main Methods:
- Referencing evolutionary theory to develop formal descriptors.
- Analyzing four classes of systems: Zone of Proximate Development, peer systems, internalized integration systems, and systems handling low-probability events.
- Conceptualizing recursive dynamics as diagonal evolution (di-evolution).
Main Results:
- Formal descriptors for universal construction tendencies: expansion of degrees of freedom, integration, and maintenance.
- Identification of four distinct system classes with varying complexity.
- Application of descriptors to classify neurotransmitter functionality, temperament traits, and mental disorders.
Conclusions:
- Di-evolution offers a framework for understanding complex, multi-level transient systems.
- The proposed descriptors provide a formal language for analyzing universal tendencies in diverse systems.
- This work is a foundational step towards understanding 'contingency cycles' in ecology and biology.
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