When Cognitive Control Becomes Unstable: A Threshold Theory of Regulatory Bandwidth

This paper advances a threshold theory of regulatory bandwidth, proposing that cognitive stability is not a fixed trait but a dynamic state capacity that can undergo a sudden, non‑linear collapse under sustained environmental complexity. Drawing on cognitive load theory, predictive processing, attention research, and technostress studies, the framework defines regulatory bandwidth as the moment‑to‑moment resource maintaining low‑entropy attentional organization. When informational density, unpredictability, and rule ambiguity drain bandwidth below a critical threshold, the system shifts from goal‑directed control to a reactive, high‑entropy regime. The theory uniquely predicts hysteresis—the recovery threshold is substantially lower than the collapse threshold—and generates specific, falsifiable predictions regarding response‑time variability, switch costs, and asymmetric recovery dynamics. Boundary conditions related to trauma, psychosis, neurological disorders, and sleep deprivation are delineated. The work contends that contemporary digital ecosystems systematically erode bandwidth, misattributing structural collapse to individual deficits, and outlines implications for environmental design, policy, and personal practice.

Keywords: Cognitive Stability, Regulatory Bandwidth, Attentional Entropy, Environmental Complexity, Cognitive Load Theory, Technostress, Hysteresis