The Cognitive Clutter and Minimal-Interference Framework Distractor Expression

Option : Extended Version (More Academic & Detailed, ~230 words) When processing capacity is exceeded, the brain generates "cognitive clutter"—task-irrelevant thoughts, emotional responses, and attentional drifts that compete with current goals. While previous research on inhibitory failure and resource competition explains the generation of such interference, the mechanism determining its specific outward expression remains underexplored. This paper introduces the Minimal-Interference Framework to address this gap. We propose that under cognitive overload, the system is constrained by a Minimal-Interference Principle: it selects an expression form (F) that minimizes interference with the highest-weight current goal (A) and is feasible within situational constraints. This is mathematically formalized as F* = argmin Σ Wᵢ × D(F, Aᵢ), where the total interference is a weighted sum of the performance decline of competing goals. Additionally, we propose the mechanism of "Effector Preemption," wherein active behavioral substitutions (e.g., biting one's lip) physically occupy shared muscle effectors to hedge against automatic, undesirable micro-expressions during social stress. By integrating target weight, cognitive load, and observable behavioral outputs, this framework generates falsifiable predictions—such as the linear additivity of interference and the weight-protection effect—providing a novel computational approach to understanding how the brain manages and externalizes cognitive overload.Keywords: Cognitive Clutter; Minimal-Interference Principle; Inhibitory Failure; Effector Preemption; Goal Competition.