rsn-perceiving-information

name	rsn-perceiving-information
description	Gathers and filters information systematically. Applies scanning, focusing, filtering, triangulating, monitoring, and synthesizing modes to build accurate situational awareness. Use when researching, verifying claims, monitoring signals, or combining multiple sources. Triggers on "what's happening", "verify this", "monitor for", "gather information", "is this true".
license	Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

Perceiving

Direct attention. Filter information. Feed thinking.

Core Principle

Perception precedes thought. What you attend to determines what you can reason about.

perceiving → thinking → output
    ↑            │
    └────────────┘
      (need more data)

Bad perception = reasoning on wrong inputs = wrong conclusions.

Mode Selection

Mode	Question	Output	Trigger
Scanning	What's out there?	Landscape summary + signals	Broad awareness needed
Focusing	What's the detail here?	Deep understanding	Specific signal important
Filtering	What's noise vs signal?	Prioritized list	Information overload
Triangulating	Do sources agree?	Verified claim	Verification needed
Monitoring	Has threshold crossed?	Status + alerts	Continuous watch required
Synthesizing	What's the pattern across inputs?	Integrated picture	Multiple signals need combining

Decision Tree

Do you need broad awareness of a space?
  YES → Scanning
  NO  ↓
Do you need deep understanding of something specific?
  YES → Focusing
  NO  ↓
Are you overwhelmed with information?
  YES → Filtering
  NO  ↓
Do you need to verify something from multiple sources?
  YES → Triangulating
  NO  ↓
Do you need continuous awareness of a condition?
  YES → Monitoring
  NO  ↓
Do you have multiple signals that need integration?
  YES → Synthesizing
  NO  → No perception mode needed

---

Mode Summaries

Scanning

Purpose: Broad, shallow attention across a space.

Mental model: Radar sweep—cover maximum area, detect anything notable.

Patterns: Sweep (everything once), Sample (representative subset), Edge (periphery/outliers), Competitive (key players only)

Key rules:

• Bound scope and time (not infinite)
• Note signals, don't investigate yet
• Acknowledge blind spots
• Triage: focus / monitor / ignore

Output: Landscape summary + prioritized signals

→ references/scanning.md

---

Focusing

Purpose: Deep, narrow attention on specific signal.

Mental model: Microscope—sacrifice breadth for depth.

Approaches: Exhaustive (all sources), Targeted (answer specific questions), Iterative (deepen until diminishing returns)

Key rules:

• Define questions before diving in
• State confidence per finding
• Document unknowns
• Extract implications for thinking/action

Output: Detailed understanding with implications

→ references/focusing.md

---

Filtering

Purpose: Separate signal from noise.

Mental model: Coffee filter—let through what matters, block the rest.

Filter types: Threshold, Categorical, Recency, Source, Relevance

Key rules:

• Define criteria before filtering
• Sample filtered-out items (check for false negatives)
• Assess false negative risk
• Adjust criteria if needed

Output: Prioritized list with filtering rationale

→ references/filtering.md

---

Triangulating

Purpose: Cross-reference multiple sources for verification.

Mental model: Navigation—fix position from multiple bearings.

Patterns: 3-Independent (strongest), Primary-Secondary, Multi-Method, Temporal

Key rules:

• Verify source independence (not echoes)
• Require ≥3 sources for high-stakes claims
• Investigate conflicts, don't dismiss
• Adjust confidence based on agreement

Output: Verified claim with confidence and caveats

→ references/triangulating.md

---

Monitoring

Purpose: Continuous watch for threshold or condition.

Mental model: Smoke detector—constant vigilance, alert on trigger.

Types: Threshold (value crosses line), Trend (direction changes), Anomaly (deviation from normal), Absence (expected event missing), Combination (multiple conditions)

Key rules:

• Quantify thresholds
• Define severity levels
• Specify response actions
• Tune to prevent alert fatigue

Output: Status report with any alerts

→ references/monitoring.md

---

Synthesizing

Purpose: Integrate multiple signals into coherent picture.

Mental model: Jigsaw puzzle—assemble pieces into whole.

Methods: Weighted Average (quantitative), Bayesian (probabilistic), Narrative (qualitative story), Framework (structured template)

Key rules:

• Weight inputs by quality/reliability
• Resolve or flag conflicts
• Verify coherence (does synthesis explain all signals?)
• Make testable predictions

Output: Integrated picture ready for thinking

→ references/synthesizing.md

---

Output Format

Prose, not YAML. Every perceiving output includes:

## [Mode]: [Topic]

**Summary:** [Key finding in 1-2 sentences]

**Confidence:** [X%] — [Why this confidence level]

**Sources:** [What was examined]

**Signals:**
- [Signal 1]: [Relevance] — [Action: focus/monitor/ignore]
- [Signal 2]: [Relevance] — [Action]

**Blind spots:** [What might be missed]

**Next:**
- Focus on: [Signals warranting deep dive]
- Monitor: [Signals warranting watch]
- Ready for thinking: [Yes/No — which mode suggested]

---

Mode Transitions

From	To	Trigger
Scanning	Focusing	Signal detected worth deep dive
Scanning	Monitoring	Signal detected worth watching
Focusing	Triangulating	Finding needs verification
Monitoring	Focusing	Threshold crossed, need understanding
Any	Filtering	Information overload
Multiple	Synthesizing	Multiple signals need integration

Perceiving → Thinking Handoff

Perceiving Output	Thinking Mode
Synthesized landscape	Inductive (find patterns)
Verified anomaly	Abductive (diagnose cause)
Conflicting signals	Dialectical (resolve conflict)
Deep understanding of option	Counterfactual (evaluate)
Filtered priorities	Causal (plan actions)

---

Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Do Instead
Boiling the ocean	Bound scope, time-limit scanning
Rabbit holes during scanning	Note and move on
Confirmation bias	Include disconfirming sources
Single source trust	Triangulate important claims
Alert fatigue	Tune thresholds, prioritize severity
Analysis paralysis	Set criteria, move forward

---

References

File	Content
scanning.md	Survey patterns and landscape mapping
focusing.md	Deep dive methods
filtering.md	Noise reduction techniques
triangulating.md	Verification patterns
monitoring.md	Alert configuration
synthesizing.md	Integration methods