The Dataset -- A Five Task Model: From Cognition and Evolution to AGI

This project presents the Five Task Model: a scaffolded account of cognition that traces how living systems—from unicellular organisms to humans—adapt by solving five recurring informational tasks to keep Energy, Safety, and Reproduction (ESR) in balance. Rather than equating cognition with intelligence or specific organs, the model defines it functionally: organisms must recognize meaningful cues, interpret their significance in context, and choose a behavior that advances ESR.

These tasks—binary discrimination, object interaction at a distance, manipulation of perception, group dynamics, and symbolic operation—map to five Basic Cognitive-Behavioral Structures (BCBS) that emerged sequentially through evolution and remain layered, producing a spectrum of cognitive capacities rather than a simple on/off property.

The framework reframes behavior change as the visible trace of underlying cognition and offers practical tools for psychology, education, and personality research. In particular, the Cognitive-Behavioral Load (CBL) Index profiles relative strengths and growth areas across the five controllers, supporting assessment, intervention design, and team composition.

Finally, the model clarifies the bridge “from cognition and evolution to AGI”: by reconstructing this layered control architecture on artificial carriers, we obtain principled guidance for designing human-like artificial agents—shifting the conversation from speculative breakthroughs to functional reconstruction grounded in life’s adaptive logic.

For detailed project documentation, see the README.md (https://osf.io/2mdqc) in the Files section.

The primary dataset is available here: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VB2NC