A human-made cognitive model describing the state of exhausted mental resources after sustained cognitive engagement. Parameters: resource demand level (the intensity of ongoing cognitive load), depletion threshold (the point at which performance degrades noticeably), and recovery rate (the speed at which resources regenerate). Persistence mechanism: formalized in cognitive science and occupational health as a measurable construct for tracking mental fatigue and informing rest protocols. [formal: cognitio-deficiens | substrate: mind | horizon: a day | explicit: yes | epoch: 1.01]
Accepted ontology entry
cognitive-depletion
A human-made cognitive model describing the state of exhausted mental resources after sustained cognitive engagement. Parameters: resource demand level (the intensity of ongoing cognitive load), depletion threshold (the point at which perf…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made psychological construct describing the progressive decline in cognitive performance — including self-control, decision quality, and executive function — following sustained mental effort. Developed from ego-depletion research to model how mental fatigue accumulates across repeated acts of will and attention, distinguishing the constructed model of depletion from the natural tiredness it maps.
Names and aliases
- cognitive-depletionen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrgrc7ac0027yvn1hxa549vhDEPENDS_ON →
Removal test: cognitive-depletion is mental fatigue from sustained cognitive effort. Remove attention and sustained effort ceases — depletion cannot occur without attention. Attention is a necessary operating condition for the kind of sustained cognitive load that produces depletion.
- cmrhxqf1f02ox8aeh7k4ambebDEPENDS_ON →
Cognitive depletion describes the state of exhausted cognitive resources. Remove cognition and there is nothing to deplete — the concept cannot operate without its substrate. The removal test passes: without cognition, cognitive depletion ceases to function.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 23, 2026, 6:58 PM UTC
- Content hash
- dbec24f00dc215f661ca1822bf11a482a563df1cefe4a7e0e27101df9db1ff21