Behavioral Science Glossary
The scientific models and psychological mechanisms behind attention control, habit automation, and goal architecture.
Ultradian Rhythm
An endogenous biological rhythm that recurs recurrently within a 24-hour period, possessing a frequency shorter than circadian cyc...
Implementation Intention
A cognitive-behavioral self-regulatory strategy formatted as a highly specific 'If-Then' planning formula. It functions by pre-det...
The Mom Test
A goal-formatting protocol ensuring that all listed commitments are structured as objective, binary outcomes that are completely v...
Willpower Depletion
The neurobiological hypothesis that self-control and willpower behave like a finite, depletable metabolic resource, drawing from a...
Habit Loop
A three-part neurological loop that forms the core structure of all habit automation in the human brain. It consists of: (1) a Cue...
Parkinson's Law
The behavioral adage stating that work expands to fill the temporal space allocated for its completion. When a task is given a loo...
Zeigarnik Effect
The cognitive psychology phenomenon where people recall unfinished, suspended, or interrupted tasks significantly better than comp...
Pareto Principle
The principle stating that roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. In task architecture, it implies that the vast...
Ego Depletion
A neurobiological state where active self-control, decision-making, and cognitive filtering capacities are temporarily exhausted d...
Loss Aversion
The psychological bias where the pain of losing something is cognitively twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining an equivalen...
Cognitive Load Theory
The framework explaining how working memory handles information during learning and execution. Working memory has a strictly limit...
Dunning-Kruger Effect
A cognitive bias in which individuals with low competence or inexperienced planning habits overestimate their execution ability du...
Context Switching Cost
The hidden cognitive penalty incurred when shifting attention from one task to another before completion. Each switch leaves 'atte...
Fogg Behavior Model
The formula (B = MAP) stating that a behavior occurs only when Motivation, Ability (simplicity), and a Prompt (cue) converge simul...
Habit Stacking
A behavioral chaining technique where a new desired routine is explicitly paired with a well-established, automatic daily habit an...
The Three Pillars of Pip's Habit Design
Most productivity apps fail because they try to override your biology. Pip is engineered around the natural mechanics of cognitive science.
1. Constraint (Miller's Law)
The human working memory is highly limited (storing roughly 7 items, or down to 3 high-focus blocks). Pip limits your plan to exactly three daily targets, forcing subtraction and reducing choice friction.
2. Timing (BRAC & Cycles)
Your brain naturally cycles through alertness valleys and peaks every 90 minutes. By aligning your top commitments with early morning hours, you capitalize on peak biochemistry.
3. Accountability (Loss Aversion)
Psychology shows humans are twice as motivated to avoid loss as they are to seek gain. Pip leverages this by resetting your streak to zero if you fail to complete even one of your Daily 3 targets.
Build science-backed habits
Ditch the complex, distracting setups. Download Pip to write your Daily 3 goals, lock them in early by 10 AM, and build streaks grounded in human biology.