ADJUSTER
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 51 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
A system which is merely able to a limited degree to “hold its internal variable constant in spite of changes in the external variable”.
G. BATESON, following C.L. PROSSER, proposes to distinguish adjusters and regulators, the latter ones being better able to maintain the constancy of their internal medium (Crf. Cl. BERNARD and P. VENDRYES).
BATESON gives the following examples: “… the homoiothermic animals are classified as regulators in regard to temperature while the poikilothermic are adjusters. The same dichotomy can be applied to aquatic animals according to how they handle internal and external osmotic pressure” (1973, p.331)
BATESON added to these two categories the extraregulators (like man), which are able, up to a point, to control and modify their environment.