CYCLE (Cumulative)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 797 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
The progressive development (or involution) by reciprocal feedback of two or more functions or subsystems in a system.
According to A. LOTKA, who proposed the concept: “The eye and the hand have probably contributed more than any other circumstance to the evolution of the human mind up to its present level. The possession of an agile member gave opportunity for exercise of the mental faculties, this in turn reacted towards increased development of the tactile sense and manipulative skill of the hand, and so in a cumulative cycle” (1956, p.298).
This author also claims that language and thinking have interacted in the same mutual stimulating way.
This would be the equivalent of a virtuous circle. There seems however to exist cases where the reciprocal cumulative cycle has negative effects. It has been conjectured that such is the final effect of progressive gigantism in animal species and in organizations: The economy of scale, positive at the beginning of the process, turns a liability when the problems of internal communication and the cost they cause do finally become overburdening .