The five-gate PICT protocol can be interpreted as a staged modulation of perceptual sampling rate through controlled manipulation of:
Clamping / Unclamping dynamics
Perceptual commitment threshold
Multi-scale perceptual logic (local, regional, global)
Rather than mystical slowing, the protocol operationalizes a progressive shift from high-frequency local distinction-making to globally integrated perceptual coherence.
Before mapping, we define terms in academic language:
Temporary stabilization of perceptual commitment around a distinction, trajectory, or interpretive frame.
Release of stabilization, allowing reorganization or integration across longer temporal windows.
The quantity and coherence of perceptual evidence required before settling on an interpretation, action, or meaning.
Local logic: micro-distinction and immediate prediction.
Regional logic: pattern detection across short sequences.
Global logic: coherence across extended temporal windows; structural integration.
Behavioral Operation: Rapid naming and scanning.
Function: Makes high local sampling explicit.
Construct
Operation
Clamping
Rapid micro-clamps on discrete objects.
Commitment Threshold
Extremely low; minimal evidence needed before naming.
Perceptual Logic
Dominantly local; little regional or global integration.
This stage exposes baseline sampling dynamics. It is diagnostic.
High local clamping + low commitment threshold → perceptual fragmentation.
This corresponds to high-frequency predictive updating.
Behavioral Operation: Sustained attention to a single contour.
Construct
Operation
Clamping
Intentional macro-clamp to a stable perceptual boundary.
Commitment Threshold
Increased relative to Gate 1; attention holds before shifting.
Perceptual Logic
Transition from local to regional stabilization.
A sustained external boundary reduces internal micro-adjustments.
Clamping shifts from rapid local clamps to a slower, larger-scale anchor.
This reduces sampling rate by:
Decreasing re-orientation frequency
Reducing prediction turnover
Behavioral Operation: Extended exhalation.
Construct
Operation
Clamping
Down-regulation of autonomic micro-clamping.
Commitment Threshold
Increases through physiological slowing.
Perceptual Logic
Regional window lengthens; integration interval expands.
Physiological tempo constrains perceptual update frequency.
Slower respiration:
Reduces urgency signals
Decreases prediction error sensitivity
Expands temporal integration window
This marks the first systemic shift toward global perceptual logic.
Behavioral Operation: Intentional postponement of conceptual labeling.
Construct
Operation
Clamping
Suppression of premature conceptual clamps.
Commitment Threshold
Raised explicitly (more evidence required before naming).
Perceptual Logic
Strengthens regional/global interplay before local closure.
Naming is a closure event.
By delaying naming:
The system allows perceptual reorganization before stabilization.
Drift is perceived rather than suppressed.
Ambiguities surface.
This stage directly manipulates commitment threshold and unclamping dynamics.
Behavioral Operation: Peripheral, distributed attention.
Construct
Operation
Clamping
Minimal local clamps; distributed low-intensity stabilization.
Commitment Threshold
High; distinctions rarely collapse prematurely.
Perceptual Logic
Global logic becomes dominant; local logic subordinated.
Attention becomes field-based rather than object-based.
Consequences:
Longer integration windows
Decreased distinction density
Increased coherence across scales
This represents controlled low sampling without dissociation.
We can model the sequence as:
High Local Clamping
↓
Macro-Clamp Stabilization
↓
Physiological Down-Regulation
↓
Commitment Threshold Elevation
↓
Global Integration Dominance
This is not “relaxation.”
It is sampling rate modulation through regulatory gating.
Under high sampling:
Micro-predictions dominate
Drift is interpreted as noise
Reorganization is suppressed
Under slowed sampling:
Drift becomes perceivable
Tensions and ambiguities surface
Multi-scale reorganization becomes possible
This aligns with the broader enactive thesis:
Reorganization precedes breakdown when integration windows are long enough.