POLARITY

Risk Management and Decision Making Glossary

Risk Management and Decision Making — Polarity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Argos Home

 

 		 
 


Information on Polarity

In a causal loop diagram, concept map or influence diagram, signs adjacent to the arrows are used to indicate polarity. A plus (+) sign implies that a change in the variable at the tail of the arrow will cause a change in the variable at the head of the arrow in the same direction. Similarly, a minus (-) sign implies that a change in the variable at the tail of the arrow will cause a change in the variable at the head of the arrow in the opposite direction. (Richardson, 1985: 159). In an alternate convention ‘s’ (same) is used to represent positive polarity and ‘o’ (opposite) is used to represent negative polarity.


Other topics in our resources on Risk Management and Decision Making related to Polarity include: 
 
  • causal loop diagram
    		•
  • influence diagram
    		•
  • concept map

    •  

    If you would like to nominate new entries for the glossary, please contact Argos Press. © Argos Press Pty Ltd, Canberra, 2003-2004. All rights reserved. Please also contact Argos Press Pty Ltd for information on licensing content from this web site (such as this glossary entry on Polarity).