Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M1226

RAG - Retrieval-Augmented Generation

RAG - Retrieval-Augmented Generation
SystemsHigh supportSystems Theory
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Before asking AI to answer a question, first retrieve relevant information from an external knowledge base (such as your company's documents), then feed the retrieved information to AI as a 'cheat sheet', so that it generates answers based on these facts.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

An external hard drive for the brain. It solves the problem of AI 'confidently making up nonsense' (hallucination). For individuals, RAG metaphorically represents the separation of 'memory' and 'thinking' — do not try to memorize all knowledge (model parameters), but rather build an efficient retrieval system (external knowledge base).

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

RAG retrieves relevant documents from an external knowledge base before generation, then combines the retrieved content to answer, reducing hallucination and introducing traceable knowledge. Retrieve first, then answer.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AA%A2%E7%B4%A2%E5%A2%9E%E5%BC%B7%E7%94%9F%E6%88%90ZH · Explicit
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