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MENTAL MODEL · M11500

System Dynamics

System Dynamics
SystemsHigh supportComplexity Science
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Stocks: variables that accumulate in a system (e.g., water level, inventory). Flows: rates that change stocks (e.g., inflow rate, sales rate). Feedback loops: circular causal relationships among variables. Simulation: computer-based modeling of system behavior.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Dynamic simulation of complex systems. Founded by Jay Forrester, it transforms feedback thinking into computable models, revealing counterintuitive behaviors of complex systems.

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Anchor fast decisions

Refers to the fact that problems in different domains share the same system structure (isomorphism), which can be characterized and analogized using the same dynamic diagrams (stock accumulation, flows, feedback).

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_dynamicsZH · Explicit
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