cognitive-evolution-stageslisted

# Cognitive Evolution Stages ## Overview Most learning models treat acquisition as the final destination. This framework describes it as the starting line of a five-stage process (5阶段11层级) ending in evolution — where Stage 5 output restarts the cycle at a higher level. The diagnostic power is identifying where someone is stuck and what specific transition would unblock them. The most consequential stall is Stage 2→3: from imitation to genuine understanding with deliberate trade-off thinking. Use AFTER [metacognition] to accurately self-locate. Use BEFORE [first-principles] — first-principles at Stage 2 produces confident error. Complements [nine-level-cognitive-tower]: this maps the PROCESS of development; that maps the STATE. ## When to Use - A developer, researcher, analyst, or creator produces sophisticated work but cannot generate genuinely novel solutions - A team's "innovation" combines existing approaches without comparative trade-off evaluation - A person has mastered Stage 2 and feels "something is missing" — cannot generate without a model to copy - A mentee executes instructions perfectly but cannot diagnose what is wrong with their own approach - **When NOT to use:** person lacks Stage 1 knowledge; block is motivational not developmental; Stage 2 imitation IS appropriate for a brand-new domain ## Coaching Novices (Adaptive Front Door) - **Engine mode:** user has a concrete case → run The Process directly. - **Coach mode:** user is unfamiliar or has no concr