arXiv AI

Where Cognition Lives: Dissecting Emergent from Computed Function in a Minimal Complete Cognitive Architecture

arXiv Statistics ML
2d ago

Confidence Is Not a Promise: A Reference Audit of Typed Decision Models

The paper evaluates how well typed decision models, which output probability distributions, actually provide reliable guarantees. By comparing open-weight Laya and Jev 1.13 across 190 evaluations, the study finds that point‑estimate thresholds frequently break promised accuracy, while a Beta lower‑bound rule and Learn‑then‑Test approach maintain guarantees more consistently. The work also explores calibration across languages, the impact of noise, data requirements for fine‑tuning, and the limitations of confidence in predicting outcomes or providing faithful explanations.

By Pedro Carvalho Brom
arXiv AI
Sep 11

Proof-Carrying Cognition: Closing the Verification Gap with Reality-Settled Reward

The paper introduces the concept of proof‑carrying cognition, aiming to close the verification gap in language‑model reasoning by using reality‑settled rewards. It presents a theoretical framework linking verifier‑gold correlation to compute‑capability trade‑offs, demonstrates that unsound verifiers degrade under best‑of‑N selection while sound verifiers improve, and proposes a new benchmark metric, Soundness‑under‑Pressure, for evaluating reality‑settled reasoning systems.

By Eshwar Reddy M, Sourav Karmakar
arXiv AI
Sep 4

It's the Problem, Not the Path: Budget and Difficulty Confounds in LLM Reasoning Trajectories

The paper investigates whether large language models’ reasoning traces truly contain early, informative signals or merely reflect budget and difficulty confounds. Using a restart‑controlled truncation probe, the authors compare continuation success rates against from‑scratch restart curves across 178 problem‑model pairs, finding that only one case shows prefix‑limited success and that continuing a model’s own prefix generally outperforms restarting. A difficulty‑controlled test and two generation‑free analyses reveal that early internal signals do not carry outcome information beyond a problem‑difficulty baseline, underscoring the need for proper counterfactual controls.

By Yigit Utku Bulut