Hierarchical Resource Rationality Explains Human Reading Behavior

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hierarchical resource-rational model that explains human reading behavior by optimizing eye movements for comprehension while minimizing costs, successfully replicating various empirical reading phenomena.

Contribution

It proposes a novel hierarchical resource-rational framework unifying eye movement control and comprehension in reading, supported by a computational model matching human data.

Findings

Replicates lexical effects in eye movements

Models comprehension outcomes accurately

Shows hierarchical organization of reading behavior

Abstract

Reading is a pervasive and cognitively demanding activity that underpins modern human culture. It is a prime instance of a class of tasks where eye movements are coordinated for the purpose of comprehension. Existing theories explain either eye movements or comprehension during reading, but the critical link between the two remains unclear. Here, we propose resource-rational optimization as a unifying principle governing adaptive reading behavior. Eye movements are selected to maximize expected comprehension while minimizing cognitive and temporal costs, organized hierarchically across nested time scales: fixation decisions support word recognition; sentence-level integration guides skipping and regression; and text-level comprehension goals shape memory construction and rereading. A computational implementation successfully replicates an unprecedented range of findings in human reading, from lexical effects to comprehension outcomes. Together, these results suggest that resource rationality provides a general mechanism for coordinating perception, memory, and action in knowledge-intensive human behaviors, offering a principled account of how complex cognitive skills adapt to limited resources.