Concept

FCE (Functional Cognition & Execution) is a baseline-relative functional assessment system. It measures how your execution is performing today compared to your own normal performance.

“Baseline-relative: compare the person to themselves, not to a population average.”
Baseline-relative Function-first Local-only by default Refusal protects Human interpretation
Open instrument

What FCE is

FCE is a short-task instrument that captures functional execution signals such as: reaction speed, inhibitory control, and attention under divided load.

FCE measures function (speed, control, consistency). It does not measure causes, diagnoses, or personal worth.

The problem it solves

Many real-world decisions are made under uncertainty. Performance can change from day to day due to sleep loss, stress, illness, medication effects, distraction, or recovery.

Traditional assessments often depend on population norms, diagnostic frameworks, or biomarkers that do not directly answer the operational question: how is execution functioning right now?

FCE provides a structured, repeatable way to track functional performance over time, while keeping interpretation human-led.

Why baseline-relative measurement matters

  • Fairness: individuals differ naturally. Baseline-relative comparison reduces population bias.
  • Sensitivity: deviation from personal normal can be detected even when absolute performance looks “fine.”
  • Practicality: the reference is built from repeated sessions on the same device and input method.
  • Clarity: results are interpretable as “within normal range” vs “deviation from baseline,” not as a label.

Single sessions are signals, not verdicts. Trends over time carry more meaning than one-off results.

For a simplified visual explanation of baseline-relative measurement, see: How baseline-relative measurement works.

Why performance can change day to day

Day-to-day execution is shaped by many interacting factors: sleep quality, workload, stress, recovery, illness, and the surrounding environment. These influences affect attention, inhibition, and motor control — sometimes without obvious subjective warning signs.

FCE does not attempt to identify causes. It measures the outcome: how execution is functioning today compared to personal normal. Interpretation remains human-led.

Baseline comparison and pattern recognition

FCE is based on repeated comparison to a personal baseline rather than to population norms. This design supports stable, self-referential measurement across time.

When the same short tasks are repeated under varying real-world conditions, users may become more sensitive to changes in their own execution patterns — such as increased variability, reduced consistency, or deviation from their normal range.

This effect does not depend on feedback, interpretation, or scoring labels. FCE does not explain patterns or suggest meaning; it only makes change observable through structured comparison.

Any interpretation of observed patterns remains outside the scope of the instrument.

Short concept summary (copy-ready)

FCE (Functional Cognition & Execution) is a baseline-relative functional assessment system. It measures short-task execution (reaction speed, inhibitory control, and divided attention) and compares performance to a personal baseline rather than population averages. FCE is designed to support repeatable monitoring and careful interpretation. It is not diagnostic, does not detect substances, and does not produce automated or binding decisions.

How FCE works (at a high level)

  • Baseline: build a personal normal range (typically 3–5 sessions under normal conditions)
  • Check: compare today’s performance to baseline
  • Training: practice-only (never updates baseline)

Mode is determined by the action you choose, not by hidden settings.

Integrity and refusal

FCE includes refusal logic. When session quality is too low to support comparison, FCE marks the session as not usable instead of producing a misleading score.

  • Protects against false certainty from incomplete or distorted input
  • Supports careful interpretation and repeatability
  • Preserves the “measurement-first” philosophy

Refusal is protection — not punishment. Retesting is always allowed.

System properties

  • Offline-first: works without accounts and without server upload by default
  • Local-only storage: sessions remain on the device unless the user exports
  • Manual export: optional JSON export (user-initiated)
  • Transparency: session history is visible; no hidden “black box” outputs

Scope & limits (non-negotiable)

FCE is a functional measurement tool. It is intentionally limited.

  • Not diagnostic: no medical, psychiatric, or neurological diagnoses
  • Not legal judgment: no "fit/unfit" verdicts, no guilt/innocence outputs
  • Not substance detection: measures function, not causes
  • Not automated decision-making: not a decision engine for institutions
  • Not single-session determinism: one session should not be treated as a decisive outcome

A full, copy-ready scope statement is available on the Scope & Limits page.