---
id: "question-self-awareness-barrier"
type: "open-question"
source_timestamps: ["00:23:12", "00:23:20"]
tags: ["psychology", "human-computer-interaction"]
related: ["concept-expertise-paradox"]
resolution_path: "Develop elicitation agents that observe user behavior (screen recording/activity tracking) to infer rules, rather than relying solely on Q&A."
sources: ["s08-real-problem-agents"]
sourceVaultSlug: "s08-real-problem-agents"
originDay: 8
---
# How to elicit knowledge from those lacking self-awareness?

## Question

The proposed solution ([[concept-expertise-elicitation]]) relies on an Interviewer Agent asking questions. But if a senior expert's knowledge is so deeply tacit that they **lack the self-awareness to even answer** the agent's questions accurately, how can their expertise be extracted?

This is the recursive form of the [[concept-expertise-paradox]]: the paradox not only blocks self-documentation, it may also block answering interview questions.

## Resolution path

Develop elicitation agents that **observe user behavior** (screen recording, activity tracking, decision logs) to infer rules, rather than relying solely on Q&A. This shifts elicitation from introspection to revealed-behavior analysis.

## Risks

Observational elicitation introduces serious privacy and consent concerns; the user must agree to be watched at the level of granularity required to infer judgment patterns.

## Related
- [[concept-tacit-knowledge-barrier]]
- [[framework-structured-elicitation-workflow]]