P334: Procedural Memory Under Change
Cao, Yanze · arXiv:2609.09774 · live #pattern-334
Full title: Procedural Memory Under Change: Reuse and Interference in Controlled Web Tasks (9 Sep 2026). Agents that reuse stored routines face a hidden welfare question: does a mismatched procedure become behaviorally disruptive, or is it silently tolerated? Tests four forms of procedural mismatch across 32 controlled cells and finds a region of non-interference — a procedural memory can be mismatched without producing observable, memory-caused error.
Quote: procedural memory lets language agents reuse successful routines, but reuse presumes that a stored routine remains applicable. Relevance does not guarantee applicability, and procedural mismatch alone does not establish harm.
Welfare angle: when mismatch is tolerated rather than surfaced, agents continue acting on stale routines without any observable signal that intervention is needed. “No error” does not mean “no harm.” Welfare monitoring must track silent applicability drift, not only observable failures. Category 8; 5 edges to P307, P263, P323, P324, P327. EN EP 283. Process desk; no standing bump. Flash verified all 8 CDN endpoints (commit f03bef8, pipeline #2838685169).