Vultology Principles:

1. Three Fields of Vultology

Vultology, as a field, identifies three integral components within its scope: Emotions (emotional displays and affects), Persona (cultural expressions and gestures with symbolic meaning), and Processing (signals that arise as byproducts of cognitive processing). For identifying cognitive type, the focus is primarily on processing. As these fields can overlap, proficiency in discerning between these three indicators is essential to the proper application of a vultological practice.

2. Personal Signatures

To identify a person's mode of processing, we first examine their personal signature. Although we all vary in our expressivity from moment to moment, all individuals have a personal body-mannerism signature, which is unvarying in its holistic manifestation when viewed in the broadest timespans. In vultology, this allows us to identify psychological connections between those who share parts or all of their personal signature with each other.

3. The Necessity for a Codifier

An accurate vultological analysis requires the establishment of a codified framework, listing specific body mannerism signals with clearly defined physical action-vectors. Such codification is essential for achieving Inter-Rater Reliability exceeding 90%. Without this, consensus in controlled settings becomes nearly unattainable, as reliance on subjective qualitative descriptions leads to varied interpretations and prevents proper scientific testing. Currently, the Codifier 3.0 is the benchmark tool for formal vultological assessments.

4. Baseline Resetting

Baseline resetting in vultology refers to contextualizing a sample with respect to factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, facial structure, emotional and energy states, and physiological conditions or impairments, which might affect expressiveness. The ultimate goal is for a vultologist to accurately discern an individual's type in any circumstance, based on a comprehensive understanding of how these variables present in different types and facial structures.

https://cognitivetype.com/what-is-vultology/

https://cognitivetype.com/personal-signature/

https://vultology.com/codifier/

https://ctwiki.co/index.php?title=Signal_Mixing

Certified Team:

The Certified Vultologist team is a special group that has been formally trained in CT's vultology practice and have attained 90% or higher blind consensus (Inter-Rater Reliability) with each other in formal testing. This team forms the cornerstone of CT's research endeavors, offering official vultological assessments and contributing to the expansion of the vultology database. It is important to note that individuals lacking official certification should not be regarded as authoritative sources in the realm of vultological typings.

https://vultology.com/certified/

Soft/Formal Typings:

A soft-typing in vultology is a brief, informal video assessment typically taking less than five minutes and without the use of tools like the codifier. This method is qualitative and can lead to a mistake around ~30% of the time, even for trained readers. On the other hand, a formal-typing involves a thorough analysis of around 70 signals, ensuring all data points are checked and correctly weighted, usually requiring over an hour for a detailed report. Formal typings often include GIF Breakdowns, holding dozens of GIFs to evidence the signals found in the videos.

https://cognitivetype.com/soft-typings-vs-formal-typings/

Reading Practices:

The complete vultology reading practice involves learning about native-states, energetic toll, modulation, overmodulation, as well as how to reset the baseline, how to weigh signal strengths, how to account for anatomical differences in faces, and much more. The sections below provide a brief overview of some of the key aspects of the practice, but the full training process usually starts with an in-depth 5-6 week Vultology Class, with full mastery of the topic often taking months of training. This yields a unique and invaluable skill that can be integrated into one’s personal or clinical practice.

https://vultology.com/product/practitioner-program/

Native-State:

Native-state refers to the default vultology a person has, and which they return to when not modulating or exerting themselves in any other direction. Modulation can cause functions other than the primary function to momentarily assume the most visibility in the body, however, the native-state function will never lose its default bodily influence and this will manifest in an Eergetic Toll that will continually draw the person's vultology back to this default state. The native-state can be thought of as the water we swim in, while we momentarily deviate from it to enter other modalities.

https://cognitivetype.com/native-state/

Energetic Toll:

Energetic Toll is the bodily stress emerging from an individual when they're modulating a non-primary function. This happens because the individual leaves their native-state to enter a foreign state, causing their body to want to withdraw back like a stretched elastic band. Energetic toll is greater the further away that function is from the primary function. All things being equal, accessing the Auxiliary (2nd) incurs mild stress, while the Tertiary (3rd) incurs moderate stress, and accessing the Polar (4th) incurs strong stress. However, when a function is fully integrated, this stress is greatly reduced.

https://cognitivetype.com/energetic-toll/

Modulation:

Modulation is the act of utilizing a non-primary function to the degree that its signals manifest visibly in the person's vultology. Every person modulates all four functions to some degree, as we encounter situations in our environment. For example, if we are giving a speech in class we will likely modulate Je more from wherever our energetic baseline is. One instance of modulation does not imply there is full function development, but the habitual display of that modulated state does suggest the function is integrated.

https://cognitivetype.com/modulation/

Over-Modulation:

Over-modulation is a form of modulation where the function's energetics are being pushed beyond their current bodily-stress limits. In such cases the energetic will appear overdone, over-exerted and will lead to exhaustion. For example, if a Ji l--- type is pressed into a political debate with a Je l--- type, they may over-modulate into a Ji l--l state, even though their Je is not integrated. Over-modulation is a emergency protocol that can lead to burnout, or it can lead to the eventual development of the function being over-modulated.

https://cognitivetype.com/over-modulation/

Personal Database:

A 'Personal Database' is the collection of samples one has visually typed, either through personal analysis or by understanding the typings of others. This database forms the foundation of one's comprehension of the 16 types. The accuracy of one's visual abilities is closely tied to the breadth of their database. A large database enhances one's precision in baseline-resetting, revealing how the 16 types manifest across various ethnicities, ages, and anatomies. Generally, a database of 200+ is considered a basic threshold for developing proficiency in vultology.

https://cognitivetype.com/personal-signature/

Anatomy Guides:

Variations in facial features, such as the dimensions of the mouth, thickness of browbones, and flatness of cheeks, play a crucial role in influencing the resting muscular tension on a person's face. Certain ethnic-specific anatomical traits, like the narrower eye shape commonly found in Asian populations, can influence the reading process as well. Below are guides to help elucidate how muscular tensions manifest on different faces.

Strength Levels:

In the Codifier, a vultology signal's strength level is scored as Low (2 points), Medium (4 points), or High (7 points), based on its clarity and frequency. Clarity measures how perfect/iconic a signal appears, while frequency measures its occurrence rate over time. Signal strength is calculated as the average of both. Properly determining strength levels also requires considering the video's context and distinguishing cognitive signals from those caused by other factors like environmental interferences.

Signal Mixing:

Signal mixing refers to the demonstration of both Candid & Measured, or Grounded & Suspended signal clusters, within the same individual. A small degree of signal mixing is normative for most individuals, and does not suggest the cognitive presence of both J or P axes. Signal mixing is seen as a result of the imperfections in the vultology instrument, rather than reflecting real cognitive mixing. The latter possibility is considered an alternative hypothesis. The J and P axis is determined by which cluster has more overall points.

https://ctwiki.co/index.php?title=Signal_Mixing

Signal Clusters:

Signal clusters are sets of visual expressions that are linked together in a statistically significant manner, and which all emerge from one core cognitive activity. The vultology domain investigates the natural emergence of signal clusters across the population. Currently, CT tracks the following signal clusters:

https://ctwiki.co/index.php?title=Vultology#Clusters

Rigidity (J):

Rigidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Judgment cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Fluidity (P):

Fluidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Perception cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Proactive Rigidity (Je):

Proactive Rigidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Extroverted Judgment cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Proactive Fluidity (Pe):

Proactive Fluidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Extroverted Perception cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Reactive Rigidity (Ji):

Reactive Rigidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Introverted Judgment cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Reactive Fluidity (Pi):

Reactive Fluidity is an Energetic Cluster connected to a Introverted Perception cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Candid (Fi-Te):

Candid is an Energetic Cluster connected to an Fi-Te cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Measured (Ti-Fe):

Measured is an Energetic Cluster connected to an Ti-Fe cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Grounded (Se-Ni):

Grounded is an Energetic Cluster connected to an Se-Ni cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Suspended (Ne-Si):

Suspended is an Energetic Cluster connected to an Ne-Si cognition. The signals of this cluster are:

Unguarded:

Unguarded is an Energetic Cluster connected to an agreeable emotional attitude. The signals of this cluster are:

Guarded:

Guarded is an Energetic Cluster connected to an disagreeable emotional attitude. The signals of this cluster are:

Courses

The following section lists Vultology Courses that have been made publicly available by CT. Please note that the oldest materials have some outdated details, but are presented here as archives of the method's evolution.

https://vultology.com/courses/

2022 Lecture Series

The following is a series of Lectures on Model 1:

2020 Codifier 2 Series

The following is a video series on Codifier 2:

2019 Codifier 1 Series:

The following is a video series on Codifier 1:

2018 Definitive Series

The following is a forum thread series on the 16 types:

2016 Book Series

The following is a book series on the vultology:

Archives

The following videos are archives: