Cognitive Architecture: Canonical Domain Analysis

Status: Canonical reference. Full 12-step methodology analysis. The functional surface domain of the cognitive information substrate — what one mind DOES, analogous to organism architecture (what one organism does) and application architecture (what one application does). Domain kind (R1): Observable-surface domain. Cognitive architecture describes the observable capabilities produced by the cognitive substrate, the same way organism architecture describes observable capabilities produced by biology. Builds on: analysis-cognitive-substrate.md (cognitive substrate {Rp,Ct,As,Sq,Sy,Ev} — canonical), v1_revision/v1_biology_domain_analysis/bio_v2/exploration-cognitive-information-system-full-analysis.md (initial sketch), v1_revision/v1_biology_domain_analysis/bio_v1/organism-architecture.md (parallel surface domain) Parallel to: v1_revision/v1_biology_domain_analysis/bio_v1/organism-architecture.md (biology → organism arch), entity_domain_analysis/analysis-application-architecture.md (entity system → app arch) Extended by: exploration-social-position-and-cognitive-trajectories.md (social position shapes which CA primitives develop — 2.5× range from same substrate, five cognitive niche profiles) Note: Canonicalized from v1_revision/v1_biology_domain_analysis/bio_v2/individual-cognitive-architecture.md. Content unchanged — v1 analysis confirmed by subsequent chain work.

Step 1 — Information Gathering

1.1 What is being analyzed

The functional output of a fully developed cognitive information substrate. Not the cognitive machinery (that's the substrate: {Rp,Ct,As,Sq,Sy,Ev}), but what that machinery PRODUCES as observable capability — what one mind CAN DO.

This is the same substrate/surface split as:

• Biology {G,T,R,P,Reg,Mem} → Organism Architecture {Mo,Me,Dv,Rp,Ho,Sn,Rs,Df,Cm}
• Entity System {E,I,T,M,X,P} → Application Architecture {D,Sc,Re,Mu,Ra,Cn,Vs,Co,Au}

1.2 Relevant literature

• Cognitive psychology: Kahneman (dual process), Sternberg (triarchic intelligence), Gardner (multiple intelligences), Baddeley (working memory model)
• Developmental psychology: Piaget (cognitive stages), Vygotsky (zone of proximal development), Erikson (psychosocial development)
• Personality psychology: Big Five (OCEAN), self-concept theory, identity development (Marcia)
• Social cognition: Theory of mind (Premack & Woodruff), empathy (de Waal), social intelligence (Goleman)
• Decision science: Prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky), bounded rationality (Simon), naturalistic decision-making (Klein)
• Creativity research: Wallas (4 stages), Csikszentmihalyi (flow), Guilford (divergent thinking)
• Skill acquisition: Dreyfus model (novice→expert), deliberate practice (Ericsson), motor learning
• Philosophy of mind: Dennett (intentional stance), Bratman (planning theory of intention), Frankfurt (hierarchical desires)

1.3 What every human mind does

Regardless of culture, era, or individual differences, every neurotypical adult human mind:

• Maintains a structured understanding of the world
• Makes decisions and initiates actions
• Performs learned skills with automaticity
• Communicates internal states to others through language
• Organizes future behavior toward goals
• Assesses situations against standards and values
• Generates novel ideas, solutions, and expressions
• Models other minds and navigates social relationships
• Maintains a sense of self across time

Step 2 — Domain Kind (R1)

Observable-surface domain. Individual cognitive architecture is the observable surface of the cognitive information substrate — what minds DO, not how they process information internally. This parallels organism architecture (what organisms DO, not molecular biology) and application architecture (what apps DO, not entity system internals).

Step 3/3b — Primitives and Partial Levels

Nine primitives:

3.1 Knowledge (Kw)

Definition: Structured world model — accumulated declarative and conceptual understanding of how things are, how they work, and how they relate. The mind's MAP of reality.

Not raw data storage (that's Rp at the substrate level). Knowledge is ORGANIZED understanding — categorized, associated, connected, retrievable, updateable. It's what you KNOW, not how you know it.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Kw2→Kw3. Systematic understanding. Below: knowledge is organized by WHAT (categories, facts, classifications). Above: knowledge is organized by WHY (causal mechanisms, explanatory models). This is where knowledge becomes GENERATIVE — you can predict novel situations by applying causal understanding rather than just recognizing familiar categories. Corresponds roughly to Piaget's concrete→formal operational transition.

3.2 Skill (Sk)

Definition: Procedural capability — the ability to DO things effectively. Knowing HOW, not knowing THAT. Includes motor skills, cognitive skills, social skills, creative skills.

Distinct from Knowledge: amnesic patients can learn new skills (Sk intact) while unable to form new memories (Kw impaired). You can know everything about violin playing (Kw4) and be unable to play (Sk0 for violin).

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Sk2→Sk3. Adaptation. Below: can execute known procedures in known situations — fails when situation is novel. Above: can ADAPT — recognizes when standard procedures don't apply and modifies approach. This is where skill becomes INTELLIGENT rather than merely competent.

3.3 Decision (Dc)

Definition: Action selection and commitment — evaluating options, choosing among them, and committing to action. Resolving uncertainty into directed behavior.

Distinct from Judgment (Jd): judgment evaluates — decision ACTS. You can judge a situation (Jd) without deciding what to do (Dc). And you can decide (Dc) without careful judgment (impulsive decision).

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Dc2→Dc3. Trade-off resolution. Below: choose the best option from a single value dimension (which tastes better, which costs less). Above: weigh COMPETING values (safety vs freedom, justice vs mercy, short-term vs long-term). This is where decision becomes genuinely HARD — not because information is missing but because values conflict.

3.4 Planning (Pl)

Definition: Goal-directed temporal organization — constructing sequences of action aimed at achieving future states that don't currently exist. Looking ahead and organizing behavior accordingly.

Distinct from Skill (Sk): skills are KNOWN procedures. Planning constructs NOVEL sequences for specific goals. Skilled action follows established patterns; planning creates new ones.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Pl2→Pl3. Contingency. Below: plans assume a single path — if anything unexpected happens, the plan fails. Above: plans INCORPORATE uncertainty — they branch based on conditions. This is where planning becomes ROBUST rather than merely sequential.

3.5 Communication (Co)

Definition: Symbolic externalization and exchange — making internal states available to others and receiving others' externalizations. The INDIVIDUAL'S capability for symbolic exchange, not the cultural system of language.

The cognitive substrate's Sy (symbol) is the capacity for arbitrary signs. Communication (Co) at the surface level is the FUNCTIONAL USE of that capacity for specific communicative purposes.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Co2→Co3. Audience modeling. Below: communicate FROM your own perspective — say what you know/want. Above: communicate FOR the listener — model what they know, what they need, what will convince them. This is where communication becomes STRATEGIC rather than merely expressive.

3.6 Judgment (Jd)

Definition: Situation assessment against standards — evaluating what's true, good, right, appropriate, wise. Applying normative criteria to specific cases.

Distinct from Decision (Dc): judgment assesses, decision acts. Distinct from Knowledge (Kw): knowledge stores facts, judgment evaluates them. A judge evaluates (Jd); a jury decides (Dc); a lawyer knows the law (Kw).

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Jd2→Jd3. Principled reasoning. Below: judgment follows conventions — what the community says is right. Above: judgment follows PRINCIPLES — abstract standards that may override convention. This is where judgment becomes AUTONOMOUS rather than socially derivative. Corresponds to Kohlberg's conventional → post-conventional transition.

3.7 Creativity (Cr)

Definition: Novel production — generating representations, solutions, artifacts, or expressions that are new (not merely retrieved from memory) and valuable (not random noise). The mind's capacity to produce what didn't exist before.

Distinct from Knowledge (Kw): knowledge stores and retrieves existing information. Creativity GENERATES new information. Distinct from Skill (Sk): skill executes known procedures. Creativity produces novel procedures or products.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Cr1→Cr2. Systematic exploration. Below: creativity is opportunistic — novel combinations happen but aren't directed. Above: creativity is SYSTEMATIC — the mind deliberately explores possibility spaces, testing variations and evaluating results. This is where creativity becomes a METHOD rather than a happy accident.

3.8 Social Intelligence (Si)

Definition: Other-mind modeling and social navigation — understanding what others think, feel, and intend; navigating social relationships; coordinating with others; managing social perception.

Distinct from Communication (Co): communication is SENDING/RECEIVING information. Social intelligence is MODELING others' internal states and NAVIGATING social dynamics. You can communicate (Co3) without understanding the listener's mental state (Si2). And you can understand someone's state (Si3) without communicating about it.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Si2→Si3. False belief attribution. Below: model what others WANT (desires, intentions) but not what they BELIEVE differently from you. Above: model others' BELIEFS as potentially different from your own — including wrong. This is the classic theory-of-mind transition (typically ~4-5 years in children). It's where social intelligence becomes REPRESENTATIONAL rather than just empathic.

3.9 Identity (Id)

Definition: Self-model and continuity — the mind's representation of ITSELF across time. Includes self-concept (who am I?), autobiography (what have I experienced?), values (what do I care about?), agency (what can I do?), and narrative self (what's my story?).

The self-referential primitive. Analogous to self-description in biology (DNA encoding its own regulatory system) and entity system (types describing themselves). Every information substrate has a self-referential primitive.

Partial levels:

Phase transition: Id2→Id3. Autonomy. Below: identity is defined by others — your group, your role, your relationships tell you who you are. Above: identity is defined by YOU — your choices, your commitments, your values, independent of social assignment. This is the adolescent identity crisis — the transition from received identity to constructed identity.

Step 4 — Dependencies

Kw → (nothing; hub)
Sk → Kw (skills require knowledge of what to do and when)
Dc → Kw (decisions require knowledge of options and consequences)
Pl → Dc (planning requires making decisions at each step)
Co → Kw (communication requires something to communicate about)
Jd → Kw (judgment requires knowledge of standards and situations)
Cr → Kw (creativity requires knowledge to recombine)
Si → Kw (social intelligence requires knowledge of social patterns)
Id → Kw (identity requires knowledge of self and world to construct self-model)

Internal dependencies beyond Kw:

Pl → Dc (planning requires decision at branching points)

No other strict dependencies among the non-hub primitives. This creates a FLAT structure — Kw as hub, Pl depending on Dc, everything else depending only on Kw.

DAG:

Kw (hub — no dependencies)
  ├── Sk
  ├── Dc ← Pl
  ├── Co
  ├── Jd
  ├── Cr
  ├── Si
  └── Id

Step 5 — Coherent Sub-lattice

With 9 primitives, total space = 2^9 = 512.

Kw must be present for anything else. Given Kw, the remaining 8 primitives are almost independent (only constraint: Pl requires Dc).

Subsets of 8 remaining primitives = 2^8 = 256. Invalid: Pl present without Dc = 2^6 = 64. Valid subsets with Kw: 256 - 64 = 192. Plus: {} (empty set) = 1. Total: 193 coherent subsets.

Filter: 193/512 = 37.7%.

This is the LOOSEST filter of any domain analyzed:

The loose filter reflects REAL cognitive diversity. Unlike biology (where you can't have adaptive immunity without organized genome) or organism architecture (where you can't have ND3 without Mem3), cognitive capabilities CAN develop largely independently. You CAN be highly creative (Cr4) with poor planning (Pl1). You CAN have excellent social intelligence (Si4) with minimal systematic knowledge (Kw2). The few dependencies that exist (Pl→Dc, everything→Kw) are loose.

Step 6 — Pair Analysis

C(9,2) = 36 pairs.

Heavy pairs:

Additional heavy pairs missed in first pass:

15 heavy pairs out of 36 (42%). This is on the higher end of the normal range (~33-47%), reflecting the tight integration of cognitive capabilities.

Light pairs:

Step 7 — Core Triad

7.1 Identifying all-heavy triads

With 15 heavy pairs, multiple candidate core triads exist (all three internal pairs heavy):

Seven all-heavy triads. This is MORE than typical — biology's organism architecture has ~3, the entity system has ~3. The abundance reflects the flat dependency structure and high heavy-pair percentage (42%).

7.2 Selecting the core triad

Named triangle test: Which triad appears directly as a named load-bearing composition?

• {Kw, Jd, Si} = "Wisdom" — YES, directly named ✓
• {Kw, Cr, Sk} = "Creative mastery" — YES, directly named ✓
• {Dc, Jd, Id} = "Moral agency" — YES, directly named ✓
• Others are not directly named as a single triangle

Hub coverage test: Kw (hub primitive) appears in 5 of 7 candidate triads. Any core triad should include Kw.

Triangle concentration test: Named triangles per candidate:

{Kw, Jd, Si} has the strongest claim: directly named ("Wisdom"), highest combined triangle coverage (10), includes the hub (Kw), and represents the most culturally universal cognitive ideal.

7.3 Core triad: {Kw, Jd, Si} — Wisdom

"What is the core of human cognitive architecture?" → A mind that KNOWS deeply (Kw), JUDGES soundly (Jd), and UNDERSTANDS people (Si).

The three pairs:

• Kw-Jd (informed judgment): You can't judge well without knowing things. Deep knowledge enables nuanced judgment. The scholar, the judge, the scientist.
• Kw-Si (social knowledge): Understanding others requires knowing the world they inhabit. Social intelligence is knowledge applied to minds.
• Si-Jd (social judgment): Judging social situations — fairness, trustworthiness, appropriate behavior. The wise elder who understands both principles AND people.

This is "Wisdom" in the philosophical sense — not mere intelligence (Kw alone) or shrewdness (Si alone) or morality (Jd alone), but the INTEGRATION of knowledge, social understanding, and principled evaluation.

Cross-domain comparison of core triads:

7.4 Secondary triads

{Kw, Cr, Sk} — Creative mastery. "What is a capable creator?" Know the domain, innovate within it, execute masterfully. The artist, the inventor, the craftsperson.

{Si, Jd, Id} — Moral personhood. "What is a person in community?" Understand others, judge by principles, know yourself. The integrated moral agent.

{Kw, Dc, Jd} — Rational agency. "What is a rational actor?" Know the facts, judge by standards, decide accordingly. The classical model of rationality.

{Dc, Si, Jd} — Practical wisdom (phronesis). "What makes someone effective in the world?" Decide well, with social awareness and moral grounding. Aristotle's ideal.

Step 8 — Named Compositions (Load-Bearing)

Triangles:

JSON reconciliation (emergent-population pass): these seven §8 named load-bearing triangles — with {Kw,Jd,Si} "Wisdom" as the §7.3 core triad — plus the full-nine composition are the domain's emergent set, carried in data/domains/cognitive-architecture.v1.json compositions (each composition.emergent, conjunction presence τ, discriminating). The prior v1-extraction compositions array ({Kw,Sk,Dc} / {Co,Si,Id} / {Jd,Cr,Kw}) diverged from this analysis — only {Co,Si,Id} "Social self" was a genuine §8 triangle; the array was reconciled to §7.3 + §8. The nine per-primitive §3 phase transitions are flagged phase_transition: true in the JSON (single-source fidelity) but carry no per-primitive emergent: this domain's load-bearing structure is compositional, not single-primitive-gated — consistent with its being the loosest filter precisely because capabilities develop independently (non-over-flag; cf. organism-architecture, where only Step-10 single-driver rows received partial-level emergents).

Step 9 — Build-up Sequence

9.1 The developmental trajectory

{} → {Kw} — Infant begins learning about the world. Basic object knowledge, cause-effect. Piaget's sensorimotor stage.

{Kw} → {Kw, Sk} — Motor skills develop. Walking, grasping, tool use. Procedural learning emerges.

{Kw, Sk} → {Kw, Sk, Co} — Language development. First words, then sentences. Communication becomes symbolic. (~1-3 years)

{Kw, Sk, Co} → {Kw, Sk, Co, Si} — Theory of mind develops. Understanding that others have different beliefs and desires. (~3-5 years)

{Kw, Sk, Co, Si} → {Kw, Sk, Co, Si, Dc} — Decision-making matures. Can weigh options, delay gratification, make purposeful choices. (~5-8 years)

{Kw, Sk, Co, Si, Dc} → {Kw, Sk, Co, Si, Dc, Jd} — Moral reasoning develops. Moves from "what I want" to "what's right." Kohlberg's conventional morality. (~8-12 years)

{..., Jd} → {..., Jd, Pl} — Planning capability matures. Multi-step, contingent, goal-directed planning. Prefrontal maturation. (~12-16 years)

{..., Pl} → {..., Pl, Id} — Identity formation. Adolescent identity crisis and resolution. Who am I independent of my social roles? (~14-20 years)

{..., Id} → {..., Id, Cr} — Creative capability matures. Not just recombinative (Cr1) but systematic and potentially transformative. Often emerges in early adulthood with sufficient domain expertise.

9.2 The sequence maps to real development

This build-up sequence closely matches known developmental psychology:

• Kw: Piaget's sensorimotor (0-2)
• Sk: motor development (0-3)
• Co: language acquisition (1-5)
• Si: theory of mind (3-5)
• Dc: executive function (5-8)
• Jd: moral development (8-12)
• Pl: planning/strategic thinking (12-16)
• Id: identity formation (14-20)
• Cr: creative maturity (20+)

The ordering isn't rigid — there's overlap and individual variation. But the GENERAL sequence matches empirical developmental psychology.

Step 10 — Manifestation Landscape

Positioning cognitive profiles

What the landscape shows

No one is Full on everything. Even the most accomplished humans peak at 4-Full on a few dimensions and are moderate on others. The lattice is too large for any individual to fully occupy.

Profiles cluster by profession/archetype. Scientists cluster in {Kw4, Cr3-4, Jd3-4}. Leaders cluster in {Dc4, Pl4, Si4, Co4}. Artists cluster in {Sk4, Cr4, Id4}. These are the cognitive ATTRACTORS — stable positions in the cognitive architecture lattice.

The autistic savant profile shows dissociation. Very high Kw and Sk in narrow domains, very low Si. This validates that the primitives are genuinely independent — you CAN have expert-level knowledge and skill without social intelligence. The looseness of the lattice (37.7% filter) accommodates these atypical profiles.

Non-human profiles validate the partial level gradient. Chimpanzees at (Kw1-2, Sk2-3, Si2) show what the cognitive architecture looks like without Full Sy at the substrate level — limited knowledge organization, real skills, decent social intelligence, but no planning, no principled judgment, minimal identity.

Step 11 — Substrate/Surface Relationship

11.1 How cognitive substrate produces cognitive architecture

The cognitive substrate {Rp, Ct, As, Sq, Sy, Ev} produces the cognitive architecture through bridge mechanisms (cognitive development). The mapping:

Core triad {Rp, Ct, Sy} becomes ambient:

• Representation (Rp) → assumed by everything at the cognitive architecture level. You can't have Knowledge without representing, can't Decide without representing options, can't Plan without representing future states.
• Categorization (Ct) → assumed. Knowledge IS categorized representation. Judgment IS categorized evaluation. Social intelligence IS categorized social perception.
• Symbol (Sy) → assumed. Communication IS symbolic exchange. Planning IS symbolic future representation. Knowledge IS symbolically organized.

Non-core primitives {As, Sq, Ev} expand:

• Association (As) → Knowledge (knowledge IS an association network), Creativity (novel associations), Social Intelligence (associating behaviors with intentions, reading social cues)
• Sequence (Sq) → Skill (procedural sequences), Planning (goal-directed sequences), Decision (evaluating sequential consequences), Communication (discourse structure)
• Evaluation (Ev) → Judgment (normative evaluation), Decision (preference-based selection), Identity (self-evaluation, values), Creativity (aesthetic evaluation)

Many-to-many mapping. Each substrate primitive contributes to multiple surface primitives. Each surface primitive draws from multiple substrate primitives. Same pattern as biology→organism architecture and entity system→application architecture.

11.2 The expansion: 6→9

3 ambient (core triad absorbed) + 3 expanding (non-core each maps to ~3 surface concerns) = 9 surface primitives.

This is the SAME expansion mechanism as:

• Biology: {G,T,R} ambient → {P,Reg,Mem} expand → 9 organism primitives
• Entity system: {E,I,T} ambient → {M,X,P} expand → 9 app arch primitives

Step 12 — Cross-Domain Structural Parallels

12.1 The three surfaces compared

12.2 The self-reference pattern

Every information substrate has self-reference:

• Biology: DNA encodes proteins that regulate DNA
• Entity system: types are entities that describe entities
• Cognition: identity (Id) is the mind's model of itself

At the SURFACE level, self-reference appears as a SPECIFIC PRIMITIVE:

• Organism architecture: not a separate primitive (self-reference is embedded in Ho and Reg)
• Application architecture: self-description through type system
• Cognitive architecture: Identity (Id) — the explicit self-model primitive

The cognitive surface is the ONLY one where self-reference is a NAMED PRIMITIVE at the surface level. This is because the cognitive substrate has FULL RECURSIVE SYMBOLIZATION (Full Sy) — it can represent anything, including itself. The other substrates have self-reference but can't explicitly represent it as a surface concern.

End of analysis. Individual cognitive architecture: 9 primitives {Knowledge, Skill, Decision, Planning, Communication, Judgment, Creativity, Social Intelligence, Identity}. Hub: Kw (Knowledge). Core triad: {Kw, Jd, Si} — Wisdom (selected in §7.2-7.3; an earlier draft of this summary line read {Kw,Dc,Si}, a §7.1 candidate that was NOT selected — corrected to match the body). 193/512 coherent subsets (37.7% — loosest filter of any domain, reflecting genuine cognitive diversity). 15 heavy pairs of 36 (42%, per §6). Build-up sequence matches empirical developmental psychology (Kw→Sk→Co→Si→Dc→Jd→Pl→Id→Cr). Manifestation landscape positions show profession/archetype clustering at cognitive attractors, with non-human profiles validating the partial gradient. The 6→9 expansion follows the same mechanism as biology and entity system: core triad becomes ambient, non-core primitives expand into multiple surface concerns. Identity (Id) is the self-referential primitive — unique to the cognitive surface as a named primitive because Full Sy enables explicit self-modeling.

Referenced by the model

Cited as a source by 1 model record (browse the model census):

• cognitive-architecture — domain cognition/sc1