Comment on We have had guns for 200 years but mass shootings only became common in the last 30. So what changed?

• otter@lemmy.ca ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It’s not about good things or bad things

  Negative feedback loop: X is added to the system, which causes less X to be produced. Over time, the rate at which new X appears goes down.

  • This is the more common one in biology. As something starts to build up in your body, your body makes it so you don’t produce it as quickly (so you don’t ‘overdose’ on the chemicals you are making)

  Positive feedback loop: X is added to the system, which causes more X to be produced. Over time, the rate at which new X appears goes up.

  • This is more rare because it pushes to an extreme. Example might be birth, where pressure on the uterus causes the release of oxytocin, which causes contractions, which causes more pressure, even more oxytocin, etc. till birth is completed

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  • BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Ooh, now do positive vs. negative reinforcement!

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    • otter@lemmy.ca ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      No

      Ok fine:

      Reinforcement encourages a behavior, but the method depends

      • positive = add something good (ex. When they do something good, you give them a cookie)
      • negative = remove something bad (ex. When they do something good, you reduce the number of hours they have to work)

      The wording can flip the meaning, so don’t get too hung up on it

      • ex. Give a cookie (positive), could also be reducing hunger
      • ex. Reducing work hours (negative), could also be adding more vacation time

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• CosmicSploogeDrizzle@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  yeah, there’s nothing to argue here. These are scientific definitions of the two terms. A positive feedback loop can be negative in terms of consequences, but it doesn’t change the fact that the loop is defined as a positive feedback loop.

  The words “positive” or “negative” in terms of the loop definition do not refer to “good” or “bad”, but rather the mathematical definitions of “additive/multiplicative” or “subtractive/divisive”. A positive feedback loop is an additive or multiplicative function whereby inputs increase outputs which increase inputs which increase outputs.

  A classic example is a snowball rolling down a hill that grows in size and gains speed. Whether or not the snowball grows big enough and rolls fast enough to annihilate the school at the bottom of the hill, it doesn’t change the fact that by definition the feedback loop that is generating a larger and larger and faster and faster snowball is defined as positive.

  An example of a negative feedback loop could be you getting sick. The input being viral or bacterial particles enter your body, the output is your body temperature increases, which kills the pathogens thereby decreasing the input. The decrease in pathogens then signals to your body that the infection is receding, and you body temperature returns to normal (decreased output). You healing from a sickness is a positive (good) thing, but the feedback loop that did it, is a negative one.

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