Processing
Once information has been internalized through Cognition, it must be processed. This happens in two phases: Comprehension and Evaluation.
Comprehension asks: "Do I understand this input?"
Evaluation asks: "What do I do with this input?"
These processes determine whether information gets ignored, stored, integrated into worldview, or flagged for action.
What Gets Processed
At this stage, something has entered the system and been internalized. What to call this "something" is less clear than it might seem.
- Word pointers:
- Input, Signal, Message, Data, Information, Content, Stimulus, Observation, Impression, Intake
"Input" is used here as the anchor term — broad enough to cover communication messages, environmental observations, internal thoughts, and sensory experiences. Different contexts might call for different terms from this cluster. The important part is recognizing that something has been brought into the system and must now be processed.
Comprehension
Comprehension is the verification phase. Before evaluating what to do with an input, a person must verify they actually understand it.
For many inputs, comprehension is immediate. No additional verification is needed. But when uncertainty exists, optional comprehension checks become available.
Input Confirmation
The first check: "Did this input actually happen? Did I receive it correctly?"
- Word pointers:
- Verify, Check, Validate, Confirm, Ensure
This is confirmation rather than clarification. The question is not "what does this mean?" but "did this actually occur?"
If confirmation is uncertain, confirmation actions occur — looking again, asking "did you say...?", checking the source. These actions connect to the feedback loops from the Communication map.
Once the input is confirmed, the next check becomes available.
Direct Meaning Clarification
The second check: "What do the literal words, symbols, or patterns mean?"
- Word pointers:
- Clarify, Resolve, Decipher, Interpret, Parse
This is surface-level meaning. For language, it means understanding what the words themselves signify. For non-linguistic inputs, it means understanding what the pattern indicates.
If direct meaning is unclear, clarification actions occur — asking for definitions, looking up terms, seeking examples. Once direct meaning is clarified, the next check becomes available.
Abstract Meaning Clarification
The third check: "What is the underlying concept or idea being conveyed?"
- Word pointers:
- Grasp, Comprehend, Understand, Apprehend, Recognize
This moves beyond literal meaning to conceptual understanding. The words or patterns point toward something deeper. Abstract meaning is where context, metaphor, and implication begin to matter.
If abstract meaning is unclear, clarification actions occur — asking "what do you mean by that?", seeking analogies, exploring context. Once abstract meaning is clarified, the next check becomes available.
Implication Clarification
The fourth check: "What does this input suggest or imply?"
- Word pointers:
- Infer, Deduce, Extrapolate, Project, Anticipate
This is where the map becomes uncertain. Implication clarification appears in the comprehension checks shown above, but the relationship between clarifying implications during comprehension versus evaluating implications during evaluation remains unclear.
For some inputs, implications become clear quickly and comprehension feels complete. For others, understanding the full implications can be a process that runs in the background for years — or even decades.
The territory here is still being mapped.
Evaluation
Once an input is comprehended, it must be evaluated. Evaluation routes the input to one of several possible outcomes.
Outcome 1: Ignore / Dismiss
The input is determined to be irrelevant or unimportant. No further processing occurs. The input is discarded.
This is not failure — it is successful filtering. Most inputs a person encounters fall into this category.
Outcome 2: Store in Memory
The input is not immediately actionable but may be relevant later. It gets stored for potential future retrieval.
What gets stored and how it gets organized connects to broader questions about memory that are beyond the scope of this map.
Outcome 3: Impact Worldview
The input changes something about how a person perceives or understands the world. It adjusts or reinforces their existing worldview.
This outcome feeds back into Cognition. Worldview shapes Perception, which means this outcome changes how future inputs will be processed.
This feedback loop can be productive (learning, growth, adaptation) or potentially problematic (reinforcement of harmful beliefs, trauma responses, radicalization). The map does not make value judgments about which worldview changes are beneficial — it only notes that this outcome exists.
Outcome 4: Requires / Suggests Action
The input indicates that action may be needed. Before action occurs, alignment gets checked: does the suggested action align with the person's objectives and context?
If alignment exists, action proceeds. This connects to the Taking Action map, where action feeds back into the observation phase and the cycle continues.
If alignment does not exist, action does not occur — though the input may still be stored or may still impact worldview.
Outcome 5: Stuck in Processing / Evaluation Loop
The input cannot be successfully processed. Comprehension cannot be achieved, or evaluation cannot determine an appropriate outcome.
This is the failure mode. The system loops without progress. This can manifest as:
- Analysis paralysis (unable to decide what to do)
- Comprehension failure (unable to understand the input despite repeated attempts)
- Cognitive overload (too many inputs requiring processing simultaneously)
- Dissociation (detachment from the processing system entirely)
What breaks a person out of this loop — time pressure, external intervention, satisficing, abandonment of the input — is context-dependent and not fully mapped here.
Broader Context
The Processing map sits between Cognition and Taking Action. It is the routing system that determines what happens to information once it enters awareness.
This map is more complex than others on this site. The decision tree has many branches. The feedback loops create multiple potential paths. Some regions remain unclear.
The complexity reflects the territory. Processing information is not a simple linear operation. It involves verification, interpretation, evaluation, and routing — all shaped by Nature and Nurture, all influenced by current context and objectives.
Readers can engage with this map at whatever level of detail serves them. The high-level view (Comprehend → Evaluate → Outcomes) may be sufficient for some purposes. The detailed flowchart may be necessary for others.
As with all maps on this site: this is a work in progress. The territory continues to reveal itself.