Quick decision exercises for mechanistic explanation. You already know how to sort scenarios by primary mechanism. Now explain the machinery: what are the parts, how do they interact, what does the mechanism predict?

What

Each scenario targets one mechanism. Read the scenario, then explain the behaviour using the mechanism — name the parts, trace the causal chain from input to output, and suggest one intervention that targets a specific component.

Reference: core mechanisms

Each mechanism is a simple model of how that level produces behaviour.

Pattern detector. The brain constantly scans for patterns and tags them as good (approach) or bad (avoid). This happens in milliseconds, before conscious thought. When patterns are violated, you get an arousal spike — something's wrong. Gut feelings aren't random; they're pattern-matching against experience. But the patterns can be wrong.

Lazy controller. Conscious reasoning is expensive. The brain avoids it when possible. A conflict monitor detects when gut responses clash or stakes are high, and sometimes hands control to deliberate reasoning. But the lazy controller would rather rationalise the easy option than actually think. Feeling like you're thinking doesn't mean you are.

Affordance auction. The environment doesn't present infinite options — it affords specific actions. The brain runs an auction weighing each affordance by salience (how obvious) and utility (benefit minus cost). The winning affordance drives behaviour, often without deliberation. Change the environment, change the behaviour.

Prestige engine. Groups have norms. Conforming earns social capital (status, belonging). Deviating costs it. Group representatives signal which norms matter. Comparison with out-groups ignites the engine — we want to be positively distinct from them. People do what gets them status in their group.

Enforcement infrastructure. Cultural values only shape behaviour if they're monitored and sanctioned. Monitoring means someone's watching. Sanctions mean consequences for violation. No enforcement means norms are just words on posters. It's not about what values are stated but what values are enforced.

When to use

After mastering level identification. The explanation skill builds directly on recognition — you need to sort before you can explain.

Preparation

Have the mechanism reference above available while working. Write your full explanation before checking the answer key.

How

Work through all five scenarios. For each: read the scenario, explain the behaviour using the named mechanism (parts, causal chain), then suggest one intervention.

Scenario 1: Pattern detector

A platoon commander has worked in rural villages for months. She enters a new village and immediately feels uneasy, though she can't say why. Later she realises: no cooking smoke, unusual for this time of day.

Explain using the pattern detector mechanism.

Her brain had built a pattern: "village at this time = cooking smoke." The absence violated the pattern. The pattern detector flagged the violation and injected arousal (unease) before she consciously identified the cause. This is the mechanism working correctly — early warning based on learned patterns.

Scenario 2: Lazy controller

A junior officer witnesses questionable behaviour and considers reporting it. She thinks: "It wasn't that bad. I'm probably overreacting. It's not really my place. Nothing will change anyway." She doesn't report.

Explain using the lazy controller mechanism.

The conflict monitor detected a clash: "I should report" vs "reporting is costly/difficult." The lazy controller calculated that engagement (reporting) was expensive — social friction, effort, uncertain benefit. Disengagement was cheaper. Rather than actually deliberate, it generated rationalisations ("wasn't that bad", "not my place") to justify the easy option and resolve the discomfort.

Scenario 3: Affordance auction

Soldiers can submit concerns via a complex online form (requires login, multiple fields, supervisor notification) or mention them casually to their corporal. The form captures issues properly; casual mentions often get forgotten.

Explain using the affordance auction mechanism.

Two affordances compete: formal reporting (high friction, uncertain benefit, social exposure) vs casual mention (low friction, immediate social acknowledgment, low cost). The auction weighs salience and utility. The casual mention wins on both counts in most situations. The formal route has higher institutional value but loses the individual-level auction.

Intervention: Make formal reporting lower friction (quick form, no supervisor notification for minor issues) or make casual mentions higher friction (corporals required to log all mentioned concerns).

Scenario 4: Prestige engine

In one platoon, soldiers compete to be seen as the hardest — pain tolerance, aggression, refusing help. In another platoon in the same company, soldiers compete to be seen as most professional — precision, composure, helping others improve.

Explain using the prestige engine mechanism.

Both platoons have prestige engines running — soldiers do what earns status. The difference is which norms earn status. In platoon A, hardness = prestige, so hardness behaviours are performed and reinforced. In platoon B, professionalism = prestige. Same mechanism, different fuel. The group representatives (popular soldiers, respected NCOs) likely model and reward the prestige-earning behaviours.

The mechanism is neutral. It will stabilise whatever norms are rewarded.

Scenario 5: Enforcement infrastructure

A battalion commander gives weekly speeches about integrity. A company commander in the same battalion tolerates "minor" dishonesty in reporting because the correction conversations are awkward. Soldiers learn that integrity speeches don't predict consequences.

Explain using the enforcement infrastructure mechanism.

Values require enforcement to shape behaviour. The battalion commander provides visibility (speeches) but not enforcement. The company commander's tolerance signals that sanctions won't follow violations. Monitoring exists (the company commander sees the dishonesty) but the sanction system doesn't activate. Result: the stated value (integrity) is decoupled from the lived value (whatever you can get away with).

Detection without sanction teaches that norms aren't real.

Why it works

Explanation forces you to move from recognition ("that's the lazy controller") to articulation ("the conflict monitor detected a clash, the lazy controller calculated that engagement was expensive, and generated rationalisations to resolve dissonance without changing behaviour"). This matters because interventions target components — you can't redesign the affordance auction if you can't name what's being auctioned.

The one-mechanism-per-scenario structure isolates the skill. You know which mechanism to use, so you can focus entirely on explaining it well.

Outcomes

After completing these exercises, you should be able to:

• Explain each core mechanism in one sentence, naming its key parts
• Trace a causal chain from mechanism input to behavioural output
• Suggest at least one intervention that targets a specific component