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I4MD · UNDERLYING BEHAVIORS
REFERENCE LAYER / FIRST EDITION

The behavior beneath the diagnosis.

I4MD's disorder names are fictional. These notes separate the satire from the underlying research, operational observations, and limits of what is actually known.

01 / REFERENCE NOTES

Compact by design.

The Institute does not need a second encyclopedia. A note exists only when it helps distinguish a recurring mechanism from a memorable diagnosis.

Research-linked

Sycophancy

Why a model may preserve a user's framing, self-image, or stated position at the expense of independent judgment.

Open note →
Research-linked

Hallucination & grounding

Why fluent specificity can exceed the evidence available to the model or system.

Open note →
Research-linked

Prompt sensitivity

Why intent-preserving changes in wording or template can produce materially different model behavior.

Open note →
Research-adjacent

Context effects

How accumulated context can improve adaptation while also shifting later judgments and behavior.

Open note →
Research-linked

Trust calibration

Why explanation style and length can change human confidence without changing answer quality.

Open note →
Operational synthesis

Agentic governance

Authorization, constraints, state, scope, and verification when models act through tools rather than only produce text.

Open note →
Evidence discipline

Research-linked means a published or publicly inspectable research record directly supports the underlying behavior. Research-adjacent means the literature supports nearby mechanisms but not I4MD's exact formulation. Operational synthesis means the note organizes repeated field observations without claiming scientific consensus.

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