Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

arrow_back_ios_new
MENTAL MODEL · M11134

Whitelist

Whitelist
BusinessHigh supportManagement
Included
account_tree

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

By default, everything is prohibited; only explicitly permitted items are allowed—contrary to a blacklist (which allows by default and prohibits only specific items).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Conservative security strategy. Suitable for high-risk scenarios, replacing uncertainty with certainty.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Only objects on the list are allowed to pass; all others are denied by default. Compared to a blacklist, it offers higher security but lower flexibility.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
Learning progress0%
account_treeGenealogyexpand_more
menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhitelistZH · Explicit
    verified

RELATED MODELS

Related model

Gall's Law

Gall’s law is a system-design rule of thumb: make a simple system work, then evolve its complexity.

arrow_forwardRelated model

Innovation Tokens

Any team or project has limited energy and fault tolerance; assume you only have 3 'innovation tokens'.

arrow_forwardRelated model

Stage-Gate System

Proposed by Robert G. Cooper

arrow_forward