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The soft constraints hypothesis: A rational analysis approach to resource allocation for interactive behavior.
Abstract
Soft constraints hypothesis (SCH) is a rational analysis approach that holds that the mixture of perceptual-motor and cognitive resources allocated for interactive behavior is adjusted based on temporal cost-benefit tradeoffs. Alternative approaches maintain that cognitive resources are in some sense protected or conserved in that greater amounts of perceptual-motor effort will be expended to conserve lesser amounts of cognitive effort. One alternative, the minimum memory hypothesis (MMH), holds that people favor strategies that minimize the use of memory. SCH is compared with MMH across 3 experiments and with predictions of an Ideal Performer Model that uses ACT-R's memory system in a reinforcement learning approach that maximizes expected utility by minimizing time. Model and data support the SCH view of resource allocation; at the under 1000-ms level of analysis, mixtures of cognitive and perceptual-motor resources are adjusted based on their cost-benefit tradeoffs for interactive behavior.
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“Raising the costs of externalisations (e.g., by adding additional physical or temporal demands) increases the use of internal strategies such as memory-based processing, whereas lowering the costs of externalisations increases the use of technical tools (e.g., Cary & Carlson, 2001; Gray & Fu, 2004; Gray et al., 2006; Morgan & Patrick, 2013; O’Hara & Payne, 1998; Schönpflug, 1986).”
From Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory (2021) · cites this paper as Gray et al., 2006
In the citing paper
“the work of Fu and Gray (2000; see also Gray et al., 2006; Grinschgl, Meyerhoff, & Papenmeier, 2020; Patrick et al., 2015; Waldron et al., 2011) has shown that increasing access costs by adding temporal delays for each inspection of the model window results in a shift from offloading strategies to more memory-based strategies. Thus, higher temporal costs reduce offloading behaviour.”
From Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory (2021) · cites this paper as Gray et al., 2006
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Metadata
- Authors
- Gray, W. D., Sims, C. R., Fu, W.-T., & Schoelles, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Review
- Published
- 2006
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 461-482
- ISSN
- 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1471
- OpenAlex
- W2104514002
- Cited by
- 360
- References
- 104
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 13.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Office of Naval Research (N000140310046)
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-03-1-0143)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Keywords
- resource allocation, cognitive effort, ACT-R, reinforcement learning, expected utility, interactive behavior
- MeSH terms
- Cognition, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Models, Psychological, Psychological Theory, Reinforcement, Psychology, Social Behavior
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