Adaptive Regulation Model (ARM): A Neurobehavioral Framework for State-Dependent Behavioral Accessibility (HLTC Protocol)

The Adaptive Regulation Model (ARM) proposes that behavioral output is constrained by moment-to-moment regulatory capacity rather than by intention or executive choice alone. The model centers on a regulatory window preceding overt behavioral output in which competing action pathways are shaped by physiological load, temporal pressure, and available stabilization. As load increases, this regulatory window may narrow, biasing behavior toward rapid, previously reinforced patterns and reducing timely access to goal-aligned alternatives. This model uses changes in latency, persistence, and error-correction to characterize threshold-like shifts in behavioral accessibility under pressure. Version 4 presents the High-Load Temporal Constraint (HLTC) protocol, an experimental paradigm designed to examine context-related and state-dependent shifts in behavioral accessibility in real time. The protocol combines synchronized bilateral motor engagement, controlled temporal compression, and escalating task demand to observe when rule-guided action becomes less accessible under load. ARM is presented here as the micro-level analytic lens of the broader Triplex Regulatory Framework (TRF), which organizes regulation across macro-, meso-, and micro-level dynamics. TRF is conceptually structured around the interacting dynamics of threat, safety, and reward, providing a broader systems map for interpreting regulation without making clinical claims. Within that larger framework, ARM focuses on the moment-to-moment conditions that constrain or preserve access to adaptive action. This framework is offered as a falsifiable, measurement-oriented working paper intended to support interdisciplinary investigation of behavior under load; it is not presented as a diagnostic or treatment model.