A behavioral approach to feedback loop dominance analysis

Ford, David N.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1727(199921)15:1<3::aid-sdr159>3.0.co;2-p

Cited by 103 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Like the other formal loop dominance analysis tools, the EEA is still in its formative phase and criticisms over its implementation have not been missing in the literature (Ford, 1999;Mojtahedzadeh et al, 2004). For extensive discussions of these criticisms refer to Ford (1999) and Mojtahedzadeh et al (2004).…”

Section: The Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For extensive discussions of these criticisms refer to Ford (1999) and Mojtahedzadeh et al (2004). The problems these criticisms raise and how they are tackled in this study are elaborated in the following paragraphs.…”

Section: The Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fifth criticism is the lack of automation, which remains as a stringent obstacle to widespread implementation not only of the EEA but of other loop dominance analysis methods as well (Ford, 1999;Saleh, 2002). The several pieces of computer code written in this study for the analysis of the structurebehavior relationships serve as a starting point for more efficient implementations of the methodology.…”

Section: The Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While this approach is a necessary part of model analysis and will never be completely replaced, formal analysis tools are needed to increase the efficiency of the existing practice. Formal loop dominance analysis has attracted the attention of a handful of system dynamics researchers (Forrester, 1982;Davidsen, 1991 1995; Kampmann, 1996;Ford, 1999;Saleh, 2002;Mojtahedzadeh et al, 2004). These studies approach the subject from different points of view.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the one hand, there are structure-oriented tools such as eigenvalue elasticity analysis (EEA) and pathway participation metrics (PPM). 1 On the other, there is the behavior-oriented approach of Ford (1999). 2 There are also other, "more traditional", tools such as loop knockout and statistical screening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Towards coherent loop dominance analysis: progress in eigenvalue elasticity analysis

Güneralp

2006

Syst. Dyn. Rev.

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Formal model analysis tools are essential in understanding how structure drives behavior. Conventional model analysis relies heavily on a time-consuming experimental iterative process. Current formal tools are not mature enough for application to most models. This paper presents a loop dominance analysis approach based on eigenvalue elasticity analysis (EEA). Although a potentially strong formal model analysis tool, EEA has drawn criticisms over the years for a number of reasons. The approach proposed in this study attempts to bring solutions to the issues raised by those criticisms. First, a 10-step procedure is proposed to increase the accessibility of the EEA to a wider audience. Among the most prominent features of the proposed procedure is a new measure that takes all modes of the model into account and a normalization approach for calculated elasticity values. Others include the ability to track the loop dominance dynamics over time, an attempt at codifying the proposed features of the EEA and the ability to track the influences of feedback loops on a specific variable of interest. The application of the proposed approach is demonstrated on two test models. The results facilitate the comparison of the proposed approach to other formal model analysis tools. The contributions of the proposed improvements to formal model analysis and the shortcomings of the EEA approach are discussed along with future directions for research.

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