Newsgroups: bit.listserv.csg-l
Date:         Thu, 21 Jan 1993 10:37:38 CDT
From:         "McClelland,Kent" <MCCLEL@GRIN1.BITNET>
Subject:      Manuscript available

[From Kent McClelland 930121]

Trying to get current again with the net after an overly busy semester, I've
sent a copy of my paper for the CSG meeting last summer to Bill Silvert's
file server.  The paper, "Perceptual Control and Sociological Theory," is a
much-revised version of a manuscript I distributed over CSGnet in 1991.  The
paper runs about 25,000 words and includes the following sections:

1.  A short but fairly thorough review of published literature on PCT.
2.  A longer summary of the basic concepts of PCT written to be generally
accessible to people without any technical training--a distillation of
various of Bill Powers' books and articles.
3.  A short comparison of PCT to behaviorist, cognitivist, and rational-
choice theories, with arguments as to the superiority of the PCT approach.
4.  A discussion of applications of PCT to sociological conceptions of power,
adapting the ideas of philosopher Thomas Wartenberg.
5.  A short summary of my ideas on how PCT is compatible with recent
developments in sociological theory.

You can access the paper by FTPing Bill Silvert's file server,
biome.bio.ns.ca, and getting it from the pub/csg/documents directory.
(Correct me, Bill or Gary, if I've got this wrong.  At present, the figures
for the paper are not available on the server, but I hope to have some
version of them on the server soon.  In the meantime, you can contact me if
you want the figures, and I'll send copies by snail mail.

The paper was well received by folks at the CSG meeting, but as seems to be
all too common, the reviewers couldn't stand it.  The paper had gotten to the
"revise and resubmit" stage at American Journal of Sociology before it was
turned down flat in its latest version.  The reviewers of this version were
of the opinion that I was overselling a theory with some possible good points
but the detailed applications for which had not been rigorously demonstrated.
 Their comments sound much like the position Greg Williams was taking in
exchanges earlier this month on the net, and it may well be a good critique
of my paper, at least.  Obviously, I'll need to do more work before these
particular doubters are convinced.  On optimistic note, both reviewers say
they do think the PCT approach has some utility, whatever the errors in my
presentation.

I will finally have time this semester to consider what to do next with the
ms.  Probably it will have to be broken up into smaller, better researched,
and more digestible segments.  Or else I'll have to write a book!  Where is
the Journal of Living Systems when we need it?

I also hope to have some time to play around with some modeling this
semester.  Rick Marken, please send me a copy of the Hypercard stack you
are using for your conflict experiments.  This sounds extremely
interesting!

Bill Powers:  Can you send again the information necessary for ordering the
new version of the Arm Demo?  I know you provided it on the net sometime last
fall, but I haven't been able to locate the posting.  Thanks.

Kent


Kent McClelland                   Office:  515-269-3134
Assoc. Prof. of Sociology         Home:    515-236-7002
Grinnell College                  Bitnet:  mcclel@grin1
Grinnell, IA 50112-0810           Internet:  mcclel@ac.grin.edu
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU