Complex adaptive system

About: Complex adaptive system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3190 publications have been published within this topic receiving 111947 citations. The topic is also known as: Complex adaptive system, CAS.

The Interactional Instinct: The Evolution and Acquisition of Language

Abstract: The Interactional Instinct: The Evolution and Acquisition of Language by Namhee Lee, Lisa Mikesell, Anna Dina L. Joaquin, Andrea Mates, & John Schumann. Oxford University Press, 2009. Reviewed by Bahiyyih L. Hardacre University of California, Los Angeles The currently more widely accepted idea that human language could have emerged and developed without the need for a specific gene for Universal Gram- mar (UG) is the major contribution of this book. Offering an evolutionary view on the neurobiology of language acquisition, it argues that language is a cultural artifact that evolves as from a complex adaptive system through human interaction. It claims that through the process of communicative exchanges, individuals organ- ize lexical items into structures, and if these are efficient, they are incorporated as part of this language’s “grammar”. This seems to be a highly efficient practice as it ensures that such newly created forms fit the cognitive and motor capacities of the human brain before being incorporated. In this perspective, language has evolved to fit the brain and not the other way around, as advocated by supporters of the UG perspective. This book is divided into chapters written by professors and PhD students in the Applied Linguistics department at the University of California, Los Angeles, who are all members of the Neurobiology of Language Research Group (NLRG) at the same institution. The book has in total 7 chapters and delivers the content in a very straightforward manner: chapter 1 describes what complex adaptive systems are in order to show how language is one; chapter 2 lists evidence for language emergence, describing the creation of pidgins and creoles; chapter 3 anticipates the implications of interaction and the use of language in real life settings, as op- posed to what traditional linguists have done so far in terms of describing language through prefabricated structures; chapter 4 describes interactional readiness in infant-caregiver interactions, associating apparently innate behavior in neonates and chemical rewards in a neurobiological level; chapter 5 reinforces the interactional instinct concept showing how the need for affiliation coincides with the ability to affiliate; and finally, chapters 6 and 7 describe the role of affect in first language acquisition and in cognition, respectively. The first chapter, “Grammar as a Complex Adaptive System”, begins by showing how Innatism can no longer be sustained by current findings in neuro- science, genetics and linguistics. The authors explain how nonlinear Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) emerge from pattern formations out of chaos, analogi- cally describing what happens with an emerging language. In order to show how languages can be seen as CAS’s, the authors apply all the principles of CAS, i.e., aggregation, multi-strata of building blocks, local and random interactions, tagging, Issues in Applied Linguistics © 2009 Bahiyyih L. Hardacre ISSN 1050-4273 Vol. 17 No. 2, 163-165

Disaster resilience and complex adaptive systems theory

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of resilience into the contemporary discourse of disaster risk. As a counter position to the current status quo in defining and addressing resilience, this paper introduces the theoretical lens of complex adaptive systems theory (CAS). Some of the key characterisitcs related to CAS are discussed and linkages are made to possible benefit that they might have in enhancing the understanding of disaster resilience. Design/methodology/approach – An indepth review of literature pertaining to disaster resilience and CAS was conducted to find common grounds for theoretical synergies. Findings – The inherent similarities between the concept of resilience and CAS provides ample practical and theoretical contributions to the field of disaster risk studies. Originality/value – The paper provides a different perspective to the contemporary discourse on disaster resilience. A better understanding of disaster resilience and its underlying dynamics as illumi...

Evaluating Responses in Complex Adaptive Systems: Insights on Water Management from the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA)

Abstract: Ecosystem services are embedded in complex adaptive systems. These systems are riddled with nonlinearities, uncertainties, and surprises, and are made increasingly complex by the many human responses to problems or changes arising within them. In this paper we attempt to determine whether there are certain factors that characterize effective responses in complex systems. We construct a framework for response evaluation with three interconnected scopes or spatial and temporal domains: the scope of an impact, the scope of the awareness of the impact, and the scope of the power or influence to respond. Drawing from the experience of the Southern African Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (SAfMA), we explore the applicability of this framework to the example of water management in southern Africa, where an ongoing paradigm shift in some areas has enabled a transition from supply-side to demand-side responses and the creation of new institutions to manage water across scales. We suggest that the most effective responses exhibit congruence between the impact, awareness, and power scopes; distribute impacts across space and time; expand response options; enhance social memory; and depend on power-distributing mechanisms. We conclude by stressing the need for sufficient flexibility to adapt responses to the specific, ever-evolving contexts in which they are implemented. Although our discussion focuses on water in southern Africa, we believe that the framework has broad applicability to a range of complex systems and places.

A review of human factors challenges of complex adaptive systems: discovering and understanding chaos in human performance.

Abstract: Objective:In this paper, the author explores a need for a greater understanding of the true nature of human–system interactions from the perspective of the theory of complex adaptive systems, including the essence of complexity, emergent properties of system behavior, nonlinear systems dynamics, and deterministic chaos.Background:Human performance, more often than not, constitutes complex adaptive phenomena with emergent properties that exhibit nonlinear dynamical (chaotic) behaviors.Methods:The complexity challenges in the design and management of contemporary work systems, including service systems, are explored. Examples of selected applications of the concepts of nonlinear dynamics to the study of human physical performance are provided.Results:Understanding and applications of the concepts of theory of complex adaptive and dynamical systems should significantly improve the effectiveness of human-centered design efforts of a large system of systems.Conclusion:Performance of many contemporary work syst...

Complex adaptive systems (CAS): an overview of key elements, characteristics and application to management theory

Abstract: Objective To identify key elements and characteristics of complex adaptive systems (CAS) relevant to implementing clinical governance, drawing on lessons from quality improvement programmes and the use of informatics in primary care. Method The research strategy includes a literature review to develop theoretical models of clinical governance of quality improvement in primary care organisations (PCOs) and a survey of PCOs. Results Complex adaptive system theories are a valuable tool to help make sense of natural phenomena, which include human responses to problem solving within the sampled PCOs. The research commenced with a survey; 76% (n16) of respondents preferred to support the implementation of clinical governance initiatives guided by outputs from general practice electronic health records. There was considerable variation in the way in which consultation data was captured, recorded and organised. Incentivised information sharing led to consensus on coding policies and models of data recording ahead of national contractual requirements. Informatics was acknowledged as a mechanism to link electronic health record outputs, quality improvement and resources. Investment in informatics was identified as a development priority in order to embed clinical governance principles in practice. Conclusions Complex adaptive system theory usefully describes evolutionary change processes, providing insight into how the origins of quality assurance were predicated on rational reductionism and linearity. New forms of governance do not neutralise previous models, but add further dimensions to them. Clinical governance models have moved from deterministic and 'objective' factors to incorporate cultural aspects with feedback about quality enabled by informatics. The socio-technical lessons highlighted should inform healthcare management.