Cognitive Forcing Function

A design technique that deliberately disrupts automatic cognitive processing to prompt users to engage in more deliberate, analytical thinking. In human-AI interaction, cognitive forcing functions are used to reduce over-reliance on AI outputs — for example, by asking users to make their own judgment before seeing an AI recommendation, or requiring them to explain why they accept or reject AI feedback. In accessibility contexts, such techniques are relevant to interfaces that surface potential bias or accuracy issues in AI-generated content.