ABSTRACT
Servosystems Differ from other machines in that they are able to regulate themselves; indeed, some of them perform in ways that resemble living creatures—perceiving, learning, remembering, and thinking. As automatic control assumes increasing significance in modern life, social psychologists are turning with renewed interest to the study of cognitive processes. As engineers attempt to design “electronic brains” that progressively approximate human capabilities, more and more attention is being directed to the study of open systems. Increasing emphasis is being placed upon organization, purpose, differentiation, growth, communication, and control— concepts that are indispensable in the study of living organisms. Preoccupation with problems of choice and goal-oriented movements characterizes all of the disciplines that have recently developed in this area—cybernetics, game and decision theory, general systems theory, information theory, and operations research.
