Abstract
The interdisciplinary field of synergetics may be considered as a strategy for dealing with complex systems. It focusses its attention on those situations where systems change their behavior qualitatively. The basic concepts of synergetics, such as stability and instability, order parameters, control parameters, the slaving principle, hysteresis, critical fluctuations, etc. are illustrated by means of examples taken from physics (lasers and fluid dynamics) and physiology (finger movements). It is shown how the concepts of synergetics may be used as metaphors at the conceptual level, but that they allow us also to devise computer models for phenomena treated by psychology, e.g. visual perception, including those of ambiguous pictures, where contact with Gestalt theory can also be made. As is shown in particular, the change of rather unspecific control parameters can induce a qualitative change in the behavior of a system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
ATTNEAVE, F. 1971. Multistability in Perception. Sci. Am. 225, 62–71.
BÉNARD, H. 1900. Les Tourbillons Cellulaires dans une Nappe Liquide. Rev. Gen. Sci. Pures Appl. 11, 1261, 1309.
BESTEHORN, M. and HAKEN, H. 1989. Associative Memory of a Fluid, unpublished.
BOTWINICK, J. 1961. Husband and Father-in-law: A Reversible Figure. Am. J. Psychol. 74, 312–313.
BUGELSKI, B.R. and ALAMPAY, D.A. 1961. The Role of the Frequency in Developing Perceptual Sets. Can. J. Psychol. 15, 205–211.
DITZINGER, T. and HAKEN, H. 1989. Oscillations in the Perception of Ambiguous Patterns. Biol. Cybem. 61, 279.
DITZINGER, T. and HAKEN, H. 1990. The Impact of Fluctuations on the Recognition of Ambiguous Patterns. Biol. Cybern. 63, 453–456.
EICHLER, W. 1930. Der Rhythmische Wechsel in der Auffassung räumlichzweideutiger geometrischer Figuren. Z. Sinnesphysiol. 61, 154–193.
FISHER, GH. 1967. Measuring Ambiguity. Am. J. Psychol. 80, 541–547.
FRIEDRICH, R., FUCHS, A., HAKEN, H. 1991. Spatio-Temporal EEG Pattern. In: H. Haken and HP. Koepchen (Eds.): Synergetics of. Physiological Rhythms. Berlin: Springer.
GOMBRICH, E.H. 1973. Illusion in Nature and Art. In: R.L. Gregory and E.H. Gombrich (Eds.): Illusion in Nature and Art. London: Duckworth.
GRÄSER, H. 1977. Spontane Reversionsprozesse in der Figuralwahrnehmung. Trier: Dissertation.
HAKEN, H. (Ed.) 1970. Laser Theory. Berlin: Springer.
HAKEN, H. 1983. Advanced Synergetics. Instability Hierarchies of Self-Organizing Systems and Devices. Berlin: Springer.
HAKEN, H. 1987. Synergetic Computers for Pattern Recognition and Associative Memory. In: H. Haken (Ed.): Computational Systems, Natural and Artificial. Berlin: Springer.
HAKEN, H. 1991a. Erfolgsgeheimnisse der Natur. Synergetik: Die Lehre vom Zusammenwirken. Frankfurt: Ullstein. Engl. transl.: The Science of Structure: Synergetics.
HAKEN, H. 1991b. Synergetic Computers and Cognition. Berlin: Springer.
HAKEN, H., KELSO, J., BUNZ, H. 1985. A Theoretical Model of Phase Transitions in Human Hand Movements. Biol. Cybern. 51, 347.
JASTROW, J. 1900. Fact and Fable in Psychology. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
KAWAMOTO, AH. and ANDERSON, JA. 1985. A Neural Network Model of Multistable Perception. Acta Psychol. 59, 35–65.
KELSO, J. 1984. Phase transitions and Critical Behavior in Human Bimanual Coordination. Am. J. Physiol.: Reg. Integ. Comp. 15, R1000–R1004.
KÖHLER, W. 1920. Die physischen Gestalten in Ruhe und im stationären Zustand. Braunschweig: Vieweg.
KÖHLER, W. 1940. Dynamics in Psychology. New York: Liveright.
MARBE, K. 1893. Die Schwankungen der Gesichtsempfindungen. Phil. Stud. 8, 615–637.
ORBACH, J., EHRLICH, D., HEATH, H.A. 1963. Reversibüity of the Necker Cube. I: An Examination of the Concept of “Satiation of Orientation”. Percept Mot. Skills 17, 439–458.
O’TOOLE, A J., MILLWARD, R.B., ANDERSON, J.A. 1988. A Physical System Approach to Recognition Memory for Spatially Transformed Faces. Neural Networksr Vol. I, No. 3.
PÖPPEL, E. 1982. Lust und Schmerz. Neuronale Grundlagen menschlichen Verhaltens. Berlin: Severin u. Siedler.
RUBIN, E. 1921. Visuell wahrgenommene Figuren. Copenhagen: Gyldendalske.
SCHÖNER, G., HAKEN, H., KELSO, J. 1986. A Stochastic Theory of Phase Transitions in Human Hand Movements. Biol. Cybern. 53, 247.
STADLER, M. and ERKE, H. 1968. Über einige periodische Vorgänge in der Figuralwahrnehmung. Vision Res. 8, 1081–1092.
STADLER, M. and KRUSE, P. 1990. The Self-Organization Perspective in Cognition Research: Historical Remarks and New Experimental Approaches. In: H. Haken and M. Stadler (Eds.): Synergetics of Cognition. Berlin: Springer.
WALLACH, H. and AUSTIN, P. 1954. Recognition and Localization of Visual Traces. Am. J. Psychol. 67, 338–340.
WERTHEIMER, M. 1912. Experimentelle Studien über das Sehen von Bewegung. Z. Psychol. 61, 165–292.
WERTHEIMER, M. 1923. Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt IL. Psychol. Forsch. 4, 301–350.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Haken, H. (1992). Synergetics in Psychology. In: Tschacher, W., Schiepek, G., Brunner, E.J. (eds) Self-Organization and Clinical Psychology. Springer Series in Synergetics, vol 58. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77534-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77534-5_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-77536-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-77534-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive