RDS Living RDSs: Ligers, Tigons, and Grolar Bears, oh my! I recently came across an article about a 'mystery monkey' found in the jungles of Borneo (pictured below). A tour guide took a picture of this mysterious monkey which baffled biologists for nearly six years. Now they believe they know what it is. Elena Cabrera Elena Cabrera 19 Jan 2023 • 1 min read
DSRP Dynamics Are Dogs Systems Thinkers, Too? Dogs are our best friends, but we can't talk to them... we have no common language. But, what if you could use the simple rules of DSRP to teach your dog to communicate with you? This blog and the remarkable videos included illustrates how this is possible when we use the underlying stuctures of systems thinking. Elena Cabrera Elena Cabrera 11 Aug 2020 • 1 min read
Reification Solving Small Problems With Systems Thinking— A Real-Life Walk Through “Systems Thinking” sounds like such a grandiose thing, requiring complicated tools designed to solve complicated problems. But what if there is more (or less) to it? What follows is a short blow-by-blow account of how I solved a small problem using DSRP (Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, Perspectives). Scott Moehring Scott Moehring 23 Jul 2020 • 2 min read
Jigs Jig: Cause-Effect This blog is part of a set of blogs under the tag "cognitive jigs."Be sure to check Unur Sukhbaatar Unur Sukhbaatar 18 Jul 2020 • 1 min read
DSRP Dynamics DSRP Is All Around Us: Color Like all things, color is chock-full of DSRP patterns. Presented with the most common colors most of us can (unless colorblind) identify them on the spot. They are distinct from one another. Elena Cabrera Elena Cabrera 18 Jun 2020 • 1 min read
Emergence The Distinction Rule Is NOT Just For Humans Distinctions are universal. They are commonly thought to be uniquely human and to exist only as concepts. Elena Cabrera Elena Cabrera 17 Jun 2020 • 1 min read
Jigs Jig: Mix and Match Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 4 This blog is part of a set of blogs under the tag "cognitive jigs." Be sure to check Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 28 Apr 2020 • 2 min read
Everydaydsrp Getting Reality Right Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 2 The British mathematician George E.P. Box said, "All mental models are wrong; the practical question is how wrong do Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 24 Apr 2020 • 6 min read
DSRP Dynamics The Four Simple Rules of Systems Thinking: The Perspective Rule Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 3 Perspectives Rule Any Thing or Idea Can Be the Point or the View of a Perspective In systems thinking, perspectives are as Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 23 Apr 2020 • 3 min read
DSRP Dynamics The Four Simple Rules of Systems Thinking: The Relationship Rule Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 3 Relationship Rule Any Idea or Thing Can Relate to Other Things or Ideas Relationships (e.g., connections, links, feedback, causality, likes, and Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 22 Apr 2020 • 1 min read
DSRP Dynamics The Four Simple Rules of Systems Thinking: The Systems Rule Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 3 Systems Rule Any Idea or Thing Can Be Split into Parts or Lumped into a Whole There’s an old saying that Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 21 Apr 2020 • 2 min read
DSRP Dynamics The Four Simple Rules of Systems Thinking: The Distinction Rule Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 3 A deeper understanding and greater application of systems thinking requires that we identify the patterns that connect all of the Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 20 Apr 2020 • 9 min read
Structural Predictions Structural Predictions: Part Two Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 6 USING IDEA ANALYTICS TO PREDICT NEW IDEAS The predictive capabilities of DSRP are as simple as the theory itself. You can learn to use these predictive powers in just minutes. Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 13 Apr 2020 • 5 min read
Everydaydsrp A Systems Thinking Guide to Student Networking During Quarantine One of the things I learned in my Systems Thinking courses at Cornell University is that systems thinking can be used not only to solve wicked problems, but also to Alexandria J. Maloney Alexandria J. Maloney 12 Apr 2020 • 3 min read
Structural Predictions Structural Predictions: Part One Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 6 PREDICTIVE POWER OF SIMPLE RULES The ultimate goal of all science is to understand the intricacies of the universe well enoughto make predictions of what will occur. Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 11 Apr 2020 • 8 min read
Emotional Intelligence Not Just Posters, Culture Transforming Reifications We're committed to increasing public understanding of science about systems thinking. We strive to make the basic science of systems thinking accessible without loss of fidelity. One of the many Staff Staff 8 Apr 2020 • 5 min read
Sliders Slider: De-dupe-ing The term cognitive slider was coined by Derek Cabrera to communicate “a relatively small, nourishing or ‘meaty’ mental model” for use in increasing one’s prosocial or emotional intelligence. This Derek Cabrera, PhD Derek Cabrera, PhD 6 Apr 2020 • 2 min read
Jigs Jig: Barbell Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 5 This blog is part of a set of blogs under the tag "cognitive jigs."Be sure to check Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 5 Apr 2020 • 2 min read
Jigs Jig: Categories Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 5 This blog is part of a set of blogs under the"cognitive jigs."Be sure to check Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 4 Apr 2020 • 3 min read
Jigs Jig: P-Circle Excerpt from the book: Systems Thinking Made Simple, Chapter 5 This blog is part of a set of blogs under the"cognitive jigs."Be sure to check Derek & Laura Cabrera Derek & Laura Cabrera 3 Apr 2020 • 4 min read
Everydaydsrp 19 Specific Things Systems Thinkers Do In our research with K-12, undergraduate, graduate students, and the general public over the last decade, a number of patterns emerge that show us the specific things systems thinkers do. Derek Cabrera, PhD Derek Cabrera, PhD 30 Nov 2015 • 6 min read
Everydaydsrp Better writing by applying simple rules (DSRP) image credit[1] This blog considers ways in which DSRP can improve our writing. DSRP is an acronym representing four simple rules the Cabreras posit as underlying the diversity Erin Powers Erin Powers 24 Nov 2015 • 2 min read
Everydaydsrp Systems Thinking and Becoming a Better Person Image credit[1] This blog is about how practicing four simple rules can make us better people.[1:1] Derek Cabrera has identified four simple rules or patterns that underlie Erin Powers Erin Powers 23 Oct 2015 • 3 min read