FE-012A Protocol

Phase 1. Artifact Selection

• Use 20 artifacts from diverse domains.
• Exclude Clarity and EDF from the extraction set.
• Preserve the candidate list unless there is a documented reason to substitute an artifact.

Phase 2. Blinding

Remove or mask:

• artifact name
• domain-specific labels where practical
• author
• historical origin
• popularity
• implementation examples

Keep:

• procedural flow
• reasoning steps
• decision structure
• evaluation criteria

Document the blinding level and what was removed for each artifact.

Phase 3. Verb Extraction

Extractor records:

• raw verb phrase
• surrounding context
• inferred reasoning operation
• confidence
• notes

Extraction should focus on reasoning verbs and operations rather than nouns, topic labels, or diagram structure.

Phase 4. Primitive Normalization

• Normalize cautiously.
• Merge only when the reasoning function appears equivalent.
• Preserve disagreements rather than forcing early convergence.
• Document every synonym merge and every uncertain candidate primitive.

Phase 5. Vocabulary Tracking

• Track vocabulary growth after each artifact.
• Record new raw verbs, new normalized primitives, and new candidate primitives.
• Watch for stabilization rather than assuming it.

Phase 6. Reconstruction

• Select extracted primitive sequences from blinded artifacts.
• Remove artifact names and domain cues.
• Give only the primitive sequence to a reconstruction analyst.
• Ask the analyst to reconstruct the reasoning flow in plain language.
• Compare the reconstruction to the original artifact structure.

Phase 7. Holdout Testing

• Freeze the initial primitive vocabulary before holdout testing.
• Do not test Clarity or EDF until the vocabulary is frozen.
• Use holdout testing to see whether the frozen primitive set transfers without modification.

Phase 8. Analysis

• Review primitive frequency.
• Review vocabulary stabilization.
• Review extractor agreement.
• Review reconstruction success and failure patterns.
• Review ambiguity and disputed merges.

Execution Notes

• Treat failure as useful evidence.
• Do not claim the primitive vocabulary is complete.
• Do not derive primitives from Framework Engineering terminology.