Modelling Expert Cognition Beyond Behaviour: Towards Interpretation, Tension, and Value Structures

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Expert Identity Cognition Model (EICM), a three-layer framework that captures expert cognition as an identity-structured negotiation process influenced by internal tensions and value structures.

Contribution

It presents a novel model that moves beyond behaviour-focused approaches to include internal cognitive tensions and identity structures in understanding expertise.

Findings

EICM conceptualizes expert cognition as an identity-structured process.

Tensions from conflicting identity commitments influence decision-making.

The framework offers new insights into tacit knowledge and expert judgment.

Abstract

Existing computational models of expertise primarily focus on observable behaviour or decision outcomes, failing to capture the internal cognitive structures that generate expert reasoning. In this work, we introduce the Expert Identity Cognition Model (EICM), a three-layer framework for modelling expert cognition beyond behaviour. EICM conceptualises expert cognition as an identity-structured process operating within situational constraints, where constraints are interpreted through internal tensions arising from competing identity commitments and stabilised into value structures that guide action. Unlike behaviour-centric or constraint-driven approaches, EICM positions tension as the central cognitive mechanism connecting world structure and decision formation. We argue that expert cognition is not merely behavioural adaptation under constraints but an identity-structured negotiation process that produces stable judgement patterns across contexts. The framework provides a new perspective for modelling tacit knowledge, expert judgement, and cognitive consistency in domains including professional practice, cultural expertise, and design reasoning.