Testing - Validation Simulations

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Foundation Studies (Run First)

1. Performance Baseline Study

Scale existing Schelling model from 100 to 2000 agents
Measure tick processing time and memory usage
Profile which systems consume most computational resources
Determines if Rust migration is actually needed

2. CausalGraphSystem Validation - "Berry Toxicity Experiment"

Three berry types with different correlation/causation patterns
Compare agents with/without causal reasoning
Test novel context transfer (blue berries away from water)
Validates core assumption about causal understanding

Individual System Studies
3. ReflectionSystem Planning Test - "Multi-Step Resource Puzzle"

Tasks requiring sequence planning vs immediate rewards
Compare reflection-enabled vs disabled agents
Measure planning depth and adaptation speed
Tests whether LLM-based reflection improves decision-making

4. AffectSystem Behavioral Impact - "Unfairness Detection Task"

Resource-sharing with embedded unfairness
Track emotional responses and behavior changes
Measure costly punishment and reputation-building
Validates emotion-behavior connection

5. IdentitySystem Reputation Effects - "Anonymous vs Named Interactions"

Trust games with/without identity tracking
Compare cooperation rates and reciprocity strategies
Test whether reputation mechanisms emerge naturally
Confirms social identity impact on cooperation

Integration Studies
6. System Synergy Test - "Communication Accuracy Experiment"

Four conditions: baseline, +reflection only, +causal only, +both
Measure coordination task success and communication development
Test whether cognitive systems work better together
Critical for validating architectural assumptions

7. Emergent Behavior Detection Study

Develop metrics to distinguish genuine emergence from artifacts
Test across multiple scenarios with known vs unknown outcomes
Establish baseline patterns for interpreting complex behaviors
Essential before claiming emergent phenomena

Statistical Validation
8. Seed Sensitivity Analysis

Run each experiment across different seed ranges
Test for seed-dependent effect sizes
Measure system robustness vs environmental sensitivity
Ensures results aren't artifacts of specific initial conditions

These eight studies would provide solid empirical foundation before attempting the ambitious scenarios in your roadmap. Each targets specific architectural assumptions and provides concrete evidence about whether the cognitive systems deliver their claimed benefits.