Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M2681

In Medias Res

In Medias Res
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Not starting the story from the beginning (once upon a time...), but directly cutting into the conflict or climax in the middle of the story, then filling in the background through flashbacks.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Opening strike: In a pitch or writing, the first sentence directly throws out the biggest crisis or conflict ("Our server crashed last night because of too many users..."), instantly grabbing attention, avoiding lengthy setup.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Latin "in medias res", a narrative technique: not linearly laying out from the beginning, but directly cutting into the conflict/climax moment, then using flashbacks to provide background. The mechanism is: opening with tension instantly grabs attention, avoiding loss due to lengthy setup; it aligns with the brain's reception order of "conflict first, then desire to explore".

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_medias_resZH · Explicit
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