Frequently asked questions
The framework, experimental core, current research, and future directions.
What is P/G Theory?
P/G Theory is a computational framework for representing entity properties, directed relational state, group context, and the affective consequences of represented change. It makes the state and update assumptions explicit so their predictions can be tested.
What is P/G Engine?
P/G Engine is an experimental implementation of specified P/G core mechanisms for controlled studies. The frozen full core, including decision/search and execution constraints, has been implemented and computationally tested. Big Five authoring, personalization layers, the witness-related extension (E4), and deployment hardening and interfaces remain future work.
How does P/G relate to a large language model?
P/G specifies explicit state and update mechanisms. A language model may provide language capabilities or serve as a comparison system. A proposed language-model integration could use P/G state when evaluating candidate responses and would require its own evaluation.
The frozen integration and decision/search path has now been implemented and computationally verified as part of the full-core architecture. Human correspondence remains untested and is reserved for the Stage B study.
What has been completed, and what remains?
Computational verification, B0 engineering, the registered CTT cycle, and full-core closed-loop implementation are complete for the current computational program. One registered CTT challenge, R2-2, remains a documented limitation.
Stage B is prepared but has not started; ethics filing and external registration remain outstanding. The scientific and methodological package is frozen. Preregistration v1.0 plus the ratified v1.1 change record are complete. The ethics package is scientifically complete but awaits investigator-side administrative completion and filing. External registration has not occurred. Recruitment has not started and no human participant data have been collected.
Stage C is a separately specified future human study and does not begin unless Stage B completes its required sequence. Further CTT work belongs to a later computational cycle. The manuscripts are in closure and integration.
Does computational testing validate human psychology?
No. CTT examines theoretical structure, comparative statics, action distributions, model discrimination, and literature correspondence. Computational consistency and literature correspondence do not establish validity against human judgments or behavior; those remain separate empirical questions.
How do primary affect and derived emotions relate?
In the P/G model, positive and negative primary contributions retain their object and structural origin. The proposed derived-emotion layer uses personality, current state, and experience to interpret these contributions and associate candidate responses, while preserving the primary structure.
An emotion can admit several responses. The full personalized architecture requires evaluation beyond Stage B’s planned aggregate-affect study. Emotion and Object-Attribution Validation (Stage C) is a separately specified future human study, gated on Stage B completing its required sequence. CTT is not Stage C.
Does G include groups?
Yes. G includes directed relationships between entities and explicitly defined group-level relational fields. The current affective baseline uses identification with members and descriptive cohesion/continuity summaries. The valuation framework separately allows decision-weighted changes in group-level G and discusses broader meta-G commitments.
Group-level G is distinct from giving an abstract group its own P-vector. Relational fields, decision weights, and protection commitments are not interchangeable.
Is Big Five personality authoring available?
Big Five-style authoring is a planned interface. The current experimental implementation uses default personality parameter tables; it does not implement Big Five compilation.
Which applications are being considered?
Games are the first selected domain for future controlled agent experiments. Human–robot interaction is a future direction. Economics and social dynamics belong to the research agenda. Each domain needs its own schemas, calibration, constraints, and evaluation.
What is P/G Dynamics?
P/G Dynamics is an independent research and product effort developing P/G Theory and experimental agent systems. The research program studies entity state, relationships, affective consequences, and behavioral dynamics; the engineering program develops and evaluates P/G Engine.
Can I try a P/G Engine demo?
Demo coming soon. A real link will be published when available. Register your interest.
How can I read the manuscripts?
The Research page provides summaries and version details for the current working manuscripts. Use a manuscript’s request link to contact us for access.