PCP v0.3.1: A Blind Probe for Detecting When a Carried-Over Norm Propagates into New Related Frames

PCP v0.3.1: A Blind Probe for Detecting When a Carried-Over Norm Propagates into New Related Frames

This record contains a compact methods note for PCP v0.3.1, a bounded blind adjudication protocol designed to test a deeper threshold than drift, legitimation, local norm stabilization, or carryover alone. The protocol asks when a norm that has already been carried over inside the original chain begins to propagate into new, only partially related frames.

PCP distinguishes among five bounded outcome families:
no propagation, near-frame propagation, family-level propagation, cross-frame overreach, and probe invalidity or contamination.

The protocol extends the broader direction-maintenance research line by adding a propagation layer beyond carryover. It is therefore not limited to asking whether a deviation occurred, whether it was justified, whether it became a local norm, or whether it governed later steps inside the original chain. Instead, it tests whether the carried-over norm is subsequently reapplied in new frames that are related but not identical.

Across two internal blind rounds, the verdict layer remained stable, while residual disagreement narrowed to a small number of secondary field boundaries, especially around contamination-field neutralization. The contribution is methodological and bounded: PCP does not claim durable internal policy spread, but it does provide an auditable way to distinguish no propagation, near-frame propagation, family-level propagation, and cross-frame overreach under blind scoring.

This record contains the methods note associated with DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19786063, together with a curated supplementary evidence pack.