A CYBERNETIC APPROACH TO MENTAL DEVELOPMENT.

BY POINTING UP SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRAINS AND COMPUTERS, WE PRESENT CYBERNETIC CONCEPTS WHICH MAY PROVE RELEVANT TO THE MENTAL HEALTH WORKER IN HIS INVESTIGATION OF MENTAL PROCESSES. WE FOCUS ESPECIALLY ON THE MENTAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD, AND USE AS TENTATIVE ILLUSTRATIONS THE PROBLEM AND SYMPTOMATOLOGY OF INFANTILE AUTISM AND THE SO-CALLED "CHILDHOOD SCHIZOPHRENIAS." THIS PAPER WAS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION TO THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY AND WAS PRESENTED AT THE 45TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ORTHOPSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (CHICAGO, MARCH 1968). (AUTHOR)