Cumulative Cognitive Architecture: Empirical Validation of Human-Analogous Memory Principles Across Large Language Models

This study introduces and empirically validates the Cumulative Cognitive Architecture Hypothesis (CCAH): AI memory performance improves through two orthogonal dimensions — architectural sophistication (No Memory → Basic RAG → Cognitive Memory implementing 10 cognitive science principles) and structured cognitive scaffolding (Trinity framework: explicit identification of Rules, Constraints, and Fear/failure-mode elements) — where each dimension contributes independently measurable gains with potential interaction effects when combined. A prior study (Study 1; N=2,470 trials, 6 LLM platforms) validated the Trinity intervention with d=0.64 (p