WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is)

Biological Parallel

A tick's entire world consists of three sensory inputs: temperature, butyric acid, and light. It waits for years until all three signals align, then drops from a branch onto what it 'knows' is a mammal. The tick doesn't wonder about alternative explanations or missing data—what it senses is all there is. This radical simplification works because the tick's niche is narrow. WYSIATI becomes problematic when environments are complex but sensory models remain simple, which is why generalist species evolve richer sensory systems than specialists.