Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

arrow_back_ios_new
MENTAL MODEL · M12372

Soft Delete

Soft Delete
BehaviorHigh supportPsychology
Included
account_tree

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

In databases, when deleting data, it is not physically erased but marked as is_deleted = true. The data becomes invisible but can be restored at any time or used for auditing.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Reversible decision mechanism. In interpersonal relationships (breaking off) or habit formation (quitting), do not pursue a decisive "physical deletion" but use "soft delete." Leave room for yourself, reduce psychological panic, and it is easier to maintain the status quo.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The practice of marking deletion with a flag rather than physically removing data. The mechanism is to retain records for recovery, auditing, and compliance with retention requirements.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/2

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
    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%80%BB%E8%BE%91%E5%88%A0%E9%99%A4ZH · Explicit
    verified

RELATED MODELS

Related model

The Mom Test

If you ask your mother whether your idea is good, concern for your feelings may encourage praise rather than useful feedback.

arrow_forwardRelated model

Tritone Paradox

A sequential pair of Shepard tones a tritone apart can sound ascending to some listeners and descending to others: an auditory illusion involving specific pitch stimuli.

arrow_forwardRelated model

Rational Irrationality

Caplan’s explanatory framework: people may relax truth-seeking standards when appealing beliefs bring psychological benefits and the private marginal benefit of correcting errors is low.

arrow_forward