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Cognitive Bandwidth Allocation

Meaning

Cognitive Bandwidth Allocation is a conceptual framework describing the brain’s limited capacity for simultaneous information processing and task execution, and how this capacity is distributed among competing mental functions. It represents the active management and prioritization of finite mental resources, including attention, working memory, and executive control, toward immediate and long-term goals. Optimal allocation is crucial for sustaining high-level focus, efficiently executing complex tasks, and mitigating the onset of cognitive fatigue. This resource management is intimately dependent on the underlying energetic stability and balanced neurochemical environment of the central nervous system.