Physiology
Chapter 8 deals with homeostasis. It shows that
causal loop diagrams are an excellent way to depict the feedback in a physiological
system. These diagrams are a good tool for communication, but what about
the rest of the system dynamics method?
You are probably wondering if stock-and-flow modeling can be used to improve
our understanding of physiological systems?
I believe system dynamics can contribute in physiology because of the emphasis
on feedback and the ability to capture nonlinear relationships through numerical
simulation.
These pages begin with a summary of previous applications of system dynamics
in physiology. They then illustrate the system dynamics approach with a
classic model taken from Douglas Riggs' text on
Control Theory and Physiological Feedback Mechanisms.
The model simulates the role of shivering to control body temperature. I'll
follow the suggestion from chapter 15 to build and test the model in iterative
fashion. You'll see two iterations here. You can take on additional iterations
as part of the student exercises.
system dynamics applications | selecting a classic example
building the 1st model | testing
the 1st model
building the 2nd model | testing
the 2nd model
introductory modeling exercises | advanced modeling exercises
discussion exercises
Return to the Exercises Guide