SQUEEZING EFFECT
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3139 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
The pressure of some environmental factor on a number of looseelements , generally of the same kind.
The general result of the effect is to transform the loose elements into a more or less organized and structured group , with some collective behavior .
The environmental pressure can be of many different kinds, as in the following examples:
- the decrease of food disponibilities which induces the social state of the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum
- the pressure exerted by some predator on a more or less scattered group of preys
- some collectively perceived danger (fire, gunfire) which produces a panic in a human crowd .
- the general underlying factor is the shortening of the distance between the elements, which enhances the possibilities for new and closer relationships through a stronger reciprocal perception . Squeezing effects seem to be closely related to the appearance of all kind of languages (biophysical, biochemical, gestural or spoken) and seem to be the main root of possible further cooperation .
See also
Congeries, Crowding effect, Effect (Herd), Effect (Mass), Effect (Positional)