English

Contextuality Derived from Minimal Decision Dynamics: Quantum Tug-of-War Decision Making

Quantum Physics 2026-01-16 v1

Abstract

Decision making often exhibits context dependence that challenges classical probability theory. While quantum cognition has successfully modeled such phenomena, it remains unclear whether quantum probability is merely a convenient assumption or a necessary consequence of decision dynamics. Here we present a theoretical framework in which contextuality arises generatively from physically grounded constraints on decision making. By developing a quantum extension of the Tug-of-War (TOW) model, we show that conservation-based internal state updates and measurement-induced disturbance preclude any non-contextual classical description with a single, unified internal state. Contextuality therefore emerges as a structural consequence of adaptive learning dynamics. We further show that the resulting measurement structure admits Klyachko-Can-Binicioglu-Shumovsky (KCBS)-type contextuality witnesses in a minimal single-system setting. These results indicate that quantum probability is not merely a descriptive convenience, but an unavoidable effective theory for adaptive decision dynamics.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.10034,
  title  = {Contextuality Derived from Minimal Decision Dynamics: Quantum Tug-of-War Decision Making},
  author = {Song-Ju Kim},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.10034},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

This work addresses contextuality and non-Kolmogorovian probability as structural properties of decision dynamics, without assuming quantum physical substrates

R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:05:14.410Z