Pre-Empirical Validation

Research Resources

Access complete framework documents, testable predictions, and collaboration opportunities.

Core Framework Documents

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Research papers are prepared in direct response to your specific field or topic of interest. This ensures targeted engagement and better knowledge transfer within your framework context.

Note: As Yule is a working lawyer, papers will generally include limited references but will provide sufficient information for you to further investigate and critique the framework's application to your specific domain.

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AIM Motivation Framework - Comprehensive Foundation

Complete theoretical foundation, neuroscience grounding, and cross-domain applications. Covers the three-source motivational model (Appetites, Intrinsic Motivation, Mimetic Desire) and its implications across multiple disciplines.

Available by request • Customized to your research field or topic

AIM Framework - Neuroscience Grounding

Detailed neuroscience literature review supporting the three-source model. Explores the neural substrates underlying Appetites, Intrinsic Motivation, and Mimetic Desire.

Available by request • Customized to your research field or topic

AIM Framework - Cross-Domain Applications

Applications across economics, psychology, health, law, education, organizations, and marketing. Shows how the AIM Framework provides novel insights and predictions in each field.

Available by request • Customized to your research field or topic

AIM Framework - Testable Predictions

Specific, falsifiable hypotheses ready for empirical testing across all domains. Includes experimental designs and expected outcomes based on the tri-source motivational model.

Available by request • Customized to your research field or topic

Novel Testable Predictions

What Makes AIM Predictions Unique?

AIM's unique contribution is the tri-source classification - existing theories conflate:

  • Self-Determination Theory: Lumps A and M together as "extrinsic"
  • Girard's Mimetic Theory: Underspecifies I and A
  • Behavioral Economics: Treats all "social influence" as one mechanism

AIM's tri-source framework enables unique predictions because it:

  • • Distinguishes between appetitive needs (A), intrinsic motivation (I), and mimetic desire (M)
  • • Predicts how these sources interact and compete in the brain's valuation system
  • • Enables specific interventions targeting each source separately
  • • Provides falsifiable criteria for when predictions fail

Result: No existing theory can predict when markets will fail, when interventions will backfire, or when social dynamics will escalate. AIM's tri-source model enables these predictions.

Implementation Priority

Ready for immediate testing:

  • • Mimetic Contagion (Prediction 2) - 6 weeks
  • • Appetite-Mimetic Interaction (Prediction 3) - Single session
  • • Mimetic Rivalry Escalation (Prediction 5) - Single session
  • • Private-Then-Public Feedback (Prediction 10) - 6 weeks

Seeking industry partnerships:

  • • I-to-M Drift in Products (Prediction 1) - Tech company
  • • Flow-Based Exercise (Prediction 7) - Fitness industry
  • • Audience Removal in Legal (Prediction 8) - Law firms/courts
  • • Diversified Recognition (Prediction 11) - HR analytics

Longer-term studies:

  • • Autonomy Blocks Drift (Prediction 4) - 6 months
  • • Social Dining Direction (Prediction 6) - 3 months
  • • Opt-Out Rights in Contracts (Prediction 9) - 12 months

Economics

Prediction 1: I-to-M Drift in Product Categories Over Time

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: When a product category transitions from private use (high-I) to public visibility (high-M), demand patterns will shift from stable & persistent to volatile & trend-sensitive.

Test Design: Track productivity software (Notion, Obsidian) as they gain social media presence
Required: Product analytics data + social media monitoring
Timeline: 12-18 months tracking cohorts
Status: Seeking tech company partnership

Prediction 2: Mimetic Contagion Requires Observation of GOAL-DIRECTED Action

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: Mimetic transmission requires observing someone reaching for/pursuing an object, not just owning it. Static ownership displays will produce weaker mimetic effects than dynamic pursuit displays.

Test Design: A/B test social media content: Static images vs videos of pursuing/acquiring products
Required: E-commerce platform or influencer partnership
Timeline: 4-6 weeks
Status: Protocol ready for testing

Prediction 3: Appetite Deficits Amplify Mimetic Susceptibility

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: When appetites are dysregulated (hunger, sleep deprivation, fatigue), mimetic desire's weight (wₘ) increases relative to intrinsic motivation (wᵢ), making people MORE susceptible to social influence.

Test Design: Manipulate appetite state (fasted 14 hours vs well-fed), expose to social proof, measure conformity
Required: Lab setting, 100+ participants
Timeline: Single session
Status: Ready for lab implementation

Psychology

Prediction 4: Autonomy-Supportive Feedback Blocks I-to-M Drift

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: When intrinsically motivated activities become PUBLIC (visible rankings, social comparison), motivation drifts from I to M UNLESS autonomy-supportive feedback is provided. The drift is not inevitable—it's contextual and reversible.

Test Design: Students engaged in intrinsically interesting task. Condition A: Public leaderboard + controlling language. Condition B: Public leaderboard + autonomy-supportive feedback. Condition C: Private feedback only (control).
Required: Educational institution partnership, IRB approval, 100+ student participants
Timeline: 6-week study
Status: Seeking education research partnership

Prediction 5: Mimetic Rivalry Produces Distinctive Escalation Pattern

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: In mimetic rivalry (two people wanting the same scarce object), desire INCREASES when the rival's interest is visible, even when the object's functional value is constant. This escalation is pre-conscious and produces distinctive bidding/pursuit patterns.

Test Design: Auction format for non-essential goods. Condition A: Visible rival bids (standard eBay-style). Condition B: Blind bidding (rivals' bids hidden until end).
Required: Behavioral lab, 200+ participants
Timeline: Single-session experiment
Status: Ready for behavioral lab

Health & Policy

Prediction 6: Social Dining Amplifies Intake ONLY When Models Are Eating More

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: Social dining increases food intake through mimetic mechanisms, meaning: eating amplifies when observing others eat MORE than baseline, effect disappears when dining companion eats LESS, effect is strongest when the model is high-status/attractive.

Test Design: Participants eat lunch with confederate. Condition A: Confederate eats large portion. Condition B: Confederate eats small portion. Condition C: Eats alone (control).
Required: Nutrition research partnership, 3-month field study
Timeline: 3-month field study
Status: Seeking nutrition research partnership

Prediction 7: Flow-Based Exercise Programs Outperform Appearance-Based Programs at 12+ Months

What AIM Uniquely Predicts: Exercise programs designed around intrinsic rewards (mastery, flow, competence) will show better long-term adherence than programs designed around mimetic rewards (body image, social comparison, appearance goals).

Test Design: Two exercise programs: High-I (emphasis on skill progression, optimal challenge, private milestones) vs High-M (before/after photos, group leaderboards, appearance metrics).
Required: Fitness industry partnership, 12-month longitudinal study
Timeline: 12-month longitudinal study
Status: Seeking fitness industry partnership

How to Collaborate

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1. Contact Us

Reach out through our contact form or email to discuss your research interests and how they align with AIM predictions.

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2. Design Study

Work together to design rigorous tests of specific AIM predictions using your domain expertise and available resources.

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3. Publish Results

Co-author papers that test AIM predictions, regardless of whether they support or falsify the framework.