Dynamic Systems Theories

This chapter discusses dynamic systems theory, a recent theoretical approach to the study of development that grows directly from advances in understanding complex and nonlinear systems in physics and mathematics, but also follows a long and rich tradition of systems thinking in biology and psychology.

Abstract

Dynamic systems is a recent theoretical approach to the study of development. In its contemporary formulation, the theory grows directly from advances in understanding complex and nonlinear systems in physics and mathematics, but it also follows a long and rich tradition of systems thinking in biology and psychology. The term dynamic systems, in its most generic form, means simply systems of elements that change over time. The more technical use, dynamical systems, refers to a class of mathematical equations that describe time-based systems with particular properties.