Tunnel Vision

Definition

Tunnel Vision is a spatial and allocation failure mode where the model collapses a complex, multi-dimensional problem into a single analytical frame, producing thorough analysis on one axis while other dimensions vanish without acknowledgment.

Why It Happens

Standard autoregressive generation is greedy — it favors coherent continuation along a single trajectory because the mathematics of next-token prediction reward linear, single-threaded processing. Sustaining multiple analytical dimensions simultaneously requires a different attention distribution that default interactions never request.

The Recognizable Signature

The response is impressively detailed on one axis and conspicuously silent on others. A strategy question gets a pure financial analysis. A product design question gets a pure engineering response. The model doesn't acknowledge the dimensions it dropped — it simply doesn't see them.

The Cure

The Frame-Dilation Protocol — a meta-cognitive prior that forces the model to map the invisible macro-variables, boundary conditions, and second-order dependencies governing the prompt before executing localized analysis.

FAQ

How is Tunnel Vision different from the Symmetry Trap?

They are opposite failure modes. Tunnel Vision collapses analysis onto a single dimension. The Symmetry Trap distributes attention equally across all dimensions regardless of leverage. Both fail to route disproportionate depth to the highest-stakes variables — they just fail in opposite directions.

Can you diagnose Tunnel Vision after the fact?

Yes. The signature is a response that is impressively thorough on one dimension and silent on the rest, without acknowledging the omission. If you ask "what about X?" and the model treats it as a new topic rather than an obvious gap, that's Tunnel Vision.