An empirical test of the sociocybernetic model

A theoretical “sociocybernetic” systems analysis model was tested empirically. Two independent groups completed a questionnaire that described their reactions to four hypothetical interpersonal situations. Half of the persons in each group described their reactions to a friend and used Likert scales to rate the unfavorable/favorablencess of their (a) verbal responses and subsequent (b) emotional states. Additionally, they completed similar scale ratings that indicated the expected verbal responses and emotional states of their friend. Persons in the other half of each group completed the same interpersonal simulation exercise except that they were asked to describe an interaction with someone other than a friend. The data elements simulated by the computer were the verbal and emotional response ratings. In this simulation, one person's output becomes the other person's input and vice versa. Strife scores were defined operationally in terms of the unfavorable (negative) conditions generated in the mathematical simulations. In both groups the mean strife scores for friends were significantly lower than mean strife scores for the other two‐person interactions.