Table 1 Glossary of systems related terms
From: Thinking about inequalities in physical activity as an emergent feature of complex systems
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Complexity | Quality of being complex, that is, of displaying proprieties and behaviours that arise from complex systems. See complex system. |
Complex system | Type of system (see system) that arises from the combination of certain conditions (numerosity and diversity of elements; co-evolution between elements, and with its external environment; nested structures; limited or little central coordination; and non-equilibrium – none of which is always present) that lead to one or more of the following properties: self-organisation, emergence, adaptive behaviour, robustness, non-linearity, and path dependency [22] |
Emergence, Emergent properties | Macroscopic behaviours, properties and/or functions that arise from the combination of interactions between the system’s factors but are not reducible to the properties of those factors in isolation [34]. |
Feedback loop | The process of cause-and-effect that exists between two or more factors in a cyclic way (loop) [31]. Feedback loops can either be reinforcing (amplifying the effect of the process over time) or balancing (bringing self-correction to the process over time) [50]. |
Non-linear, Non-linearity | When a change in the input not necessarily leads to a proportional change of the output. |
System | A set of related and interacting factors that form a relatively stable, integrated whole, with macroscopic behaviours, patterns and/or functions that define and are defined by its structure. |
Systems approaches | Ways of addressing a problem (frameworks, methods, procedures, techniques, and tools) underpinned by systems thinking principles and concepts, particularly the multiplicity of interacting factors across a system, and the ways in which that system responds and adapts to interventions within it. |
Systems thinking | A way of thinking and making sense of the world which is characterised by the application of systems principles and concepts, such as interrelations, self-organisation, feedbacks, adaption and emergence, among others [15]. |