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ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2025
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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When the Small Triggers the Big: Micro‑Triggers and the Emergence of Thinking

Authors: Molchanova, Olena; GPT-based Reasoning System (OpenAI);

When the Small Triggers the Big: Micro‑Triggers and the Emergence of Thinking

Abstract

This paper addresses a seemingly paradoxical phenomenon: thought processes are often initiated not by large-scale inputs, but by small, unexpected micro‑triggers that shift the current frame of perception. The strength of a trigger lies not in its magnitude, but in its informational surprise against the background of existing knowledge. We propose a conceptual model at the intersection of associative psychology, predictive coding, and signal-to-noise theory: (i) the knowledge base creates the context and the 'energy landscape' for search; (ii) a micro‑trigger acts as a localized perturbation of high surprisal, lowering thresholds between representational states; (iii) weak noise can enhance signal detectability (stochastic resonance). Predictions, methodological implications, and limitations are discussed.

Keywords

Thinking, Attentional Bias, Thinking/ethics, insight, micro‑triggers, Knowledge Bases, Thinking/physiology, Attention, surprisal, stochastic resonance, predictive coding, associative networks, Thinking/classification

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green