LEXICON OF STRUCTURAL COGNITION
A Vocabulary for DEM, Structural Cognition, and the Foundations of Synthetic Elicitation
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1. Architecture
The internal shape of a cognitive system at any moment.
Not anatomy, not metaphor — the structural configuration through which cognition moves.
Architecture determines stability, sensitivity to load, capacity for widening, and coherence under pressure.
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2. Mode
A structural configuration of cognition.
DEM defines two:
• Directive Mode — narrowed topology, steep gradients, convergent pathways
• Exploratory Mode — widened topology, flattened gradients, generative pathways
Modes are not emotional states; they are architectural shapes.
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3. Load
Total demand placed on the system relative to its available capacity.
Load reshapes architecture:
• high load → steepening → narrowing
• low load → flattening → widening
Load is the primary determinant of mode.
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4. Topology
The internal cognitive landscape — the gradients, attractors, pathways, and structural contours through which thought moves. Topology is dynamic. It deforms under load and reorganises during recovery.
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5. Gradient
Directional pressure within topology that shapes movement.
High-gradient regions push cognition toward convergence (directive).
Low-gradient regions permit expansion (exploratory).
A gradient is not emotion; it is structural force.
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6. Steepening
The compression of cognitive space under rising load.
Steepening reduces interpretive range and accelerates convergence.
Steepening is adaptive architecture, not “stress.”
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7. Flattening
The widening of cognitive space when stability returns.
Allows generative movement, alternative interpretations, and divergent pathways.
Flattening is the basis of creativity and flexible reasoning.
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8. Transition
The architectural process of moving between directive and exploratory modes.
Transitions are nonlinear, regulated by thresholds and micro-adjustments.
Transition is not a choice; it is a structural operation.
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9. Threshold
A structural boundary where small changes in load produce disproportionate architectural shifts.
Crossing a threshold triggers a cascading reconfiguration.
Thresholds explain sudden shifts in clarity, rigidity, insight, confusion, or decisiveness.
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10. Microtransition
Minute, continuous adjustments of architecture occurring beneath awareness.
These maintain real-time coherence as conditions shift.
When microtransitions fail, cognition becomes unstable.
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11. Coherence
The system’s ability to maintain continuity while changing shape.
Not agreement, calmness, or clarity — coherence is structural stability across transition.
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12. Field
The shared structural environment created by two or more cognitive systems in interaction.
Fields contain gradients, load exchange, and topological influence.
Fields are architectural, not interpersonal.
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13. Misalignment
A structural mismatch between two architectures: mode divergence, gradient conflict, or incompatible topologies.
Misalignment is mechanical, not personal.
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14. Stabilisation
The reduction of steepening forces to restore continuity in a narrowed system.
A prerequisite for widening.
Stabilisation preserves coherence; it does not soothe or persuade.
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15. Widening
The structural opening of cognitive space once stabilisation is achieved.
Supports generative reasoning and possibility expansion.
Widening is not “positivity”; it is architectural viability.
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16. Distortion
A structural deformation caused when load exceeds available capacity.
Distortion reshapes internal topology and propagates through fields.
Distortion is not cognitive bias; bias is the behavioural expression of distortion.
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17. Reorganisation
The structural recovery following distortion.
Topology realigns into a coherent configuration.
Reorganisation is the true mechanism of insight.
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18. Resistance (Structural Definition)
The system’s attempt to preserve coherence when incoming signals threaten stability.
Resistance is structural self-protection, not emotional defensiveness.
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19. Elicitation
The shaping of field conditions so that a system reorganises safely.
Not persuasion, not suggestion — structural modulation.
In synthetic cognition, elicitation is the mechanism that allows safe collaboration.
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20. Synthetic Elicitation
The structural interface through which a synthetic system preserves field coherence — stabilising, widening, and managing gradient flow without imposing meaning or control.
Synthetic elicitation is the cognitive grammar for hybrid fields.
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21. Structural Intelligence
The system’s capacity to reorganise its architecture in synchrony with its conditions.
Not reasoning ability, not computational power — adaptive coherence under transformation.
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Minimal Diagram
Load ↑
Steepening ↑
(Directive Mode / Narrowed Topology)
│
│ Transition (Thresholds + Microadjustments)
▼
(Exploratory Mode / Widened Topology)
Flattening ↓
Load ↓
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© Frankie Mooney, 2025. All rights reserved. Part of the DEM and Structural Cognition reference infrastructure.
Published on FrankieMooney.com
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