Principlev1PR-621
Conduct metacognitive analysis retrospectively rather…
Conduct metacognitive analysis retrospectively rather than in real-time to avoid resource competition between the cognitive process being examined and the examination itself.
Why This Is a Principle
This derives from Working Memory Capacity Limit (working memory holds ~4 items), Directed Attention as Depletable Resource (cognitive resources deplete with use), and Conscious Processing Is Metabolically Expensive (deliberation consumes more resources than automatic processing). The principle prescribes timing: do schema analysis after execution rather than during it. This follows from the resource conflict between cognition and metacognition - monitoring a process in real-time degrades both the process and the monitoring. The principle is actionable and prevents the failure mode described where observation interferes with the observed.