ABSTRACT
Functional synthesis is a mode for research that is critical to understanding
systems that are only partially decomposable, dynamic, and adaptive, such as joint
cognitive systems (JCSs). Functional synthesis is empirical since it is based on a
variety of observations collected in different ways. It is theoretical as it proposes a
model of how something functions in order to achieve goals. The functional accounts in “Being Bumpable” and in Hutchins (1995b) and
Patterson et al., (1999) illustrate (and should be judged against) the following
characteristics of functional models captured in Table 3.
