# Cognitive BASIC: An In-Model Interpreted Reasoning Language for LLMs

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.16837 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.16837/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Prompting and chain-of-thought reasoning, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning.
- Builds on 5 of its 8 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Nov 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM reasoning / [Prompting and chain-of-thought reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/lr/prompting-and-chain-of-thought-reasoning/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.11903/) (2022)
- [ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.03629/) (2022)
- [MemGPT: Towards LLMs as Operating Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.08560/) (2023)
- [OpenCog Hyperon: A Framework for AGI at the Human Level and Beyond](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.18318/) (2023)
- [Unlocking Structured Thinking in Language Models with Cognitive Prompting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.02953/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Cognitive BASIC is a minimal, BASIC-style prompting language and in-model interpreter that structures large language model (LLM) reasoning into explicit, stepwise execution traces. Inspired by the simplicity of retro BASIC, we repurpose numbered lines and simple commands as an interpretable cognitive control layer. Modern LLMs can reliably simulate such short programs, enabling transparent multi-step reasoning inside the model. A natural-language interpreter file specifies command semantics, memory updates, and logging behavior. Our mental-model interpreter extracts declarative and procedural knowledge, detects contradictions, and produces resolutions when necessary. A comparison across three LLMs on a benchmark of knowledge extraction, conflict detection, and reasoning tasks shows that all models can execute Cognitive BASIC programs, with overall strong but not uniform performance.