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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0447 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Loaded Question

A question with a built-in unproven assumption.

Ambiguity Fallacy·Logical Fallacy·Grade B·stub· enriching…

Scientific Definition

A question with a built-in unproven assumption.

Plain-English Definition

A question with a built-in unproven assumption.

Feynman Explanation

'When are we going to stop wasting money on this?' Question won.

Core Principle

A question with a built-in unproven assumption.

Mechanisms

Psychological

A question with a built-in unproven assumption.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

'When are we going to stop wasting money on this?' Question won.

Examples

Everyday
  • 'Why is morale so bad on your team?' assumes the premise.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Frames the room before it deliberates.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

Pending editorial review.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Frames the room before it deliberates.
Amplifying Incentives
Frames the room before it deliberates.
Org Failure Modes
Frames the room before it deliberates.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Diagnostic Questions

Pending editorial review.

Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0447 · COG
Loaded Question
LQEqEquivocationLLLoaded LanguageTCThought-Terminating …AHAd HominemATAffirming the Conseq…AEAnecdotal EvidenceATAppeal to AuthorityATAppeal to Common SenseATAppeal to ConsequencesATAppeal to Emotion

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.