Category Archives: Complexity

Cake or Fruit: Non-linearity in Decision-Making

Posted on July 26, 2012 by

Previously I’ve discussed the work of Resnicow and Vaughn (1), who suggest that traditional models of behaviour change fail to embrace the complexity of human behaviour. They call for a new paradigm to conceptualize behaviour change using a complex systems … Continue reading →

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Learning is a feedback process

Posted on July 24, 2012 by

Learning depends on feedback. This is not a surprising statement, and is a common theme within many different academic disciplines, including Systems Thinking (as discussed by Sterman, Meadows, Forrester and others). But despite this consensus, learning, in the sense of … Continue reading →

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Capturing a Moment

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

How does the immediately availability of highly palatable foods influence caloric intake? Does this differ among different people and if so how? A study published in the journal Obesity by Thomas et. al. suggests that individuals with a higher BMI … Continue reading →

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Smart meters: creating a new feedback loop to save energy

Posted on October 18, 2011 by

Smart meters are coming to BC. Ours was just installed recently, but it appears it will be awhile before residents can actually take advantage of the direct feedback the new meters will be able to provide. By Spring of 2012, … Continue reading →

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