Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M0714

Minimax Strategy

Minimax Strategy
DecideHigh supportDecision Science
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Aim for the best possible outcome in the worst-case scenario. That is, among all options, identify the "worst outcome" for each, then choose the option with the smallest loss among those worst outcomes (choosing the best among the worst).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Safety-net thinking: suitable for extremely risk-averse scenarios. Not about winning big, but about losing little. It is the core algorithm of survival strategies.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Decision criterion: under uncertainty, choose the option that yields the best outcome in the worst case, i.e., maximize the minimum gain. This is a conservative or robust strategy.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

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Source support: Explicit

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