Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M0973

Buff / Debuff

Buff / Debuff
DecideHigh supportDecision Science
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Temporary status effects applied to a character. Buffs are positive enhancements (e.g., +10% attack power), while Debuffs are negative impairments (e.g., slow, poison). The key is that they all have a duration.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

State awareness. Treat emotions, environment, and tools as Buffs/Debuffs. Staying up late is a 24-hour 'Intelligence -20%' Debuff; a cup of coffee is a 2-hour 'Energy +10%' Buff. Before making decisions, check your status bar: due to the Debuff, should you avoid high-difficulty operations now?

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Temporary states are superimposed on the subject, altering a certain ability according to duration; Buffs enhance, Debuffs weaken, and the key is 'limited duration'—they automatically fade after expiration.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/4

Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
Learning progress0%
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Source support: Explicit

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