Further Reading

General Introductions | PCT Applied to Specific Fields | Theoretical/Experimental PCT | More Alphabetized by Author

This page will help you select the right book or printed article to begin or advance your understanding of perceptual control theory (PCT). Select a broad category from the list above, then search inside the category to find the best fit for you.

This is not a complete list of books (that's just not practical at this time), but is intended to help get you started. If you would like to suggest an addition to this list, please send your suggestion to specialized publisher on our links page.

Articles that can be directly downloaded are available through our articles and links pages. This page is mainly for paper books.

Introductions to PCT

Behavior: The Control of Perception (William T. Powers, 1973)
Hawthorne, NY: Aldine

The basic PCT text. The original statement of Perceptual Control Theory. DeGruyter.

Who should read: Readers who want an authoritative statement about PCT. Just about anyone who's serious about PCT has read this book.

Original Book Jacket Text on this site

Table of Contents and Preface on this site

Available from Benchmark Publications.

Available from Amazon.com

Making Sense of Behavior: The Meaning of Control (William T. Powers, 1998)

Powers' guide to Perceptual Control Theory for the layperson.

Available from Benchmark Publications and New View Publications.

Introduction to Modern Psychology (Richard J. Robertson and William T. Powers)

A college level textbook of perceptual control theory.

Who should read: those interested in evaluating a range of psychology concepts from a PCT perspective.

Available from Benchmark Publications and New View Publications.

Comparative approaches to cognitive science (H. L. Roitblat & J.-A. Meyer (eds.), 1995)
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

The chapter called Perceptual Control Theory (by W. Thomas Bourbon) surveys applications of PCT modeling by Bill Powers, Greg Williams, Rick Marken, Clark Mcphail, Chuck Tucker, and Bourbon. The PCT model is contrasted with some of the mainstream models and theories presented at the workshop.

Who should read: anyone interested in how PCT contrasts with mainstream cognitive science models.

Available from Amazon.com

PCT Applied to Specific Fields

PCT in Education: Journal Articles

Purposeful behavior as the control of perception: Implications for educational research (Cziko, Gary A., 1992).
Educational Researcher, 21(9), 10-18, 27.

Introduction to PCT and implications for educational research.

Perceptual control theory: One threat to educational research not (yet?) faced by Amundson, Serlin, and Lehrer (Cziko, Gary A., 1992)
Educational Researcher, 21(9), 25-27.

Response to critics of previous article.

Theoretical/Experimental PCT

Mind Readings: Experimental Studies of Purpose (Richard S. Marken, 1992)

Behavioral research based on and exploring Perceptual Control Theory.

Table of Contents and excerpts on this web site

Available from Amazon.com and New View Publications.

More Mind Readings: Methods and Models in the Study of Purpose

More research and models based on Perceptual Control Theory by Richard S. Marken.

More information on the Mind Readings web site

Available from Amazon.com and New View Publications.

The Things We Do: Using the Lessons of Bernard and Darwin to Understand the What, How, and Why of Our Behavior (Cziko, Gary A., 2000)
Bradford Books.

Discusses long-standing theoretical and practical problems in behavioral science and developing new methods and topics for research.

Available on Amazon.com.

Journal Articles

On the accuracy and reliability of predictions by control-system theory.
(Bourbon, W. T., Copeland, K. E., Dyer, V. R., Harman, W. K., & Mosely, B. L., 1990).
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 71, 1990, 1331-1338.

The first of a 20-year series demonstrating the long-term reliability and stability of predictions generated by the PCT model.

Not yet categorized, sorted by author

Cziko, Gary. (1995). Without miracles: Universal selection theory and the second Darwinian evolution. Cambridge: MIT Press/A Bradford Book.

See Chapter 8, "Adapted Behavior as the Control of Perception"

Full Book Text and Reviews on the University of Illinois/Urbana Champaign web site

Amazon.com

Ford, Edward E. (1989). Freedom from stress. Scottsdale, AZ

A self-help book. PCT in a counseling framework.

Table of Contents, Foreword, and Introduction on this site

Available from Brandt Publishing.

Ford, Edward E. (1987). Love guaranteed: A better marriage in eight weeks. Scottsdale, AZ: Brandt Publishing

Available from Brandt Publishing

Ford, Edward E. (1994). Discipline for home and school. Scottsdale, AZ: Brandt Publishing.

Available from Brandt Publishing

Teaches school personnel and parents how to deal effectively with children.

Table of Contents, Foreword, and Chapter 1 on this site

Forssell, Dag C., (1993). Perceptual control: A new management insight. Engineering Management Journal, 5(4), 17-25.

Forssell, Dag C., (1994). "Perceptual Control: Management Insight for Problem Solving." Engineering Management Journal, 6(3), 31-39.

Forssell, Dag C., (1995). "Perceptual Control: Leading Uncontrollable People." Engineering Management Journal, 7(1).

Forssell, Dag C., (1994). Management and leadership: Insight for effective practice.

A collection of articles (shown above) and working papers in book form introducing and applying PCT in the context of business and industry.

Table of Contents, Preface, and Acknowledgements on this site

Forssell, Dag C. (Ed.), (1994). Perceptual control theory: DOS computer demonstrations, tutorials, simulations, and explanations.

1.44 MB 3 1/2" disk (1 ea) or 1.2 MB 5 1/4" disk (2 ea). May be freely copied. $10 U.S. by air worldwide. Write: Purposeful Leadership, 23903 Via Flamenco, Valencia, CA, USA. Also available via anonymous FTP at the WWW site shown above.

Gibbons, Hugh. (1990). The death of Jeffrey Stapleton: Exploring the way lawyers think. Concord, NH: Franklin Pierce Law Center.

A text for law students using control theory.

Hershberger, Wayne. (Ed.). (1989). Volitional action: Conation and control. (Advances in Psychology No. 62). NY: North-Holland. [Amazon.com]

16 of 25 articles on or about PCT.

Judd, Joel. (1992). Second language acquisition as the control of nonprimary linguistic perception: A critique of research and theory. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Dissertation Abstracts International, 53(7), #9236495.

Marken, Richard S. (Ed.). (1990). Purposeful Behavior: The control theory approach. American Behavioral Scientist, 34(1). (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications)

11 articles on control theory.

McClelland, Kent. (1994). Perceptual control and social power. Sociological Perspectives, 37(4):461-496.

complete text, with Table of Contents, available on this site

McClelland, Kent. On cooperatively controlled perceptions and social order". Available from the author, Dept. of Sociology, Grinnell College, Grinnell IOWA 50112 USA.

McClelland, Kent. (1996). The Collective control of perceptions: Toward a person-centered sociology. Revised version of a paper presented at the 1996 Annual Meeting of the Control Systems Group, Flagstaff, Arizona.

complete text with illustrations on this site

McPhail, Clark. (1990). The myth of the madding crowd. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. [Amazon.com]

Introduces control theory to explain group behavior.

McPhail, Clark., Powers, William T., & Tucker, Charles W. (1992). Simulating individual and collective action In temporary gatherings. Social Science Computer Review, 10(1), 1-28.

Computer simulation of control systems in groups.

Petrie, Hugh G. (1981). The dilemma of inquiry and learning. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Powers, William T., The nature of robots:

1. Defining behavior, BYTE, 4(6), June 1979, p132-144.

2. Simulated Control System>, BYTE,4(7), July, 134-152.

3. A Closer Look at Human Behavior, BYTE, 4(8), Aug, 94-116.

4. Looking For Controlled Variables, BYTE, 4(8), Sep, 96-112.

Powers, William T. (1989). Living control systems: Selected papers. New Canaan, Connecticut: Benchmark Publications.

Previously published papers,1960-1988.

Table of Contents, Foreword, and Preface on this site

Available from Benchmark Publications,

Amazon.com

Powers, William T. (1992). Living control systems II: Selected papers New Canaan, Connecticut: Benchmark Publications.

Previously unpublished papers, 1959-1990.

Table of Contents and Preface on this site

Foreword on this site

Available from Benchmark Publications.

Richardson, George P. (1991). Feedback thought in social science and systems theory. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. [Amazon.com]

A review of systems thinking, including PCT.

Robertson, Richard J. and Powers, William T. (Eds.). (1990). Introduction to modern psychology: The control theory view.

New Canaan, Connecticut: Benchmark Publications

College-level text.

Table of Contents, Preface, Acknowledgements on this site

Amazon.com

Runkel, Philip J. (1990). Casting nets and testing specimens. New York: Praeger. [Amazon.com]

When statistics are appropriate; when models are required.

Tucker, Charles W. (1992, April). An alternative view of individual and society: Some implications for sociology.

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Kansas City.

full text available on the University of South Carolina's web site