Computational Models of Reading: A Primer

This article briefly reviews four computational models of reading and the types of empirical findings that they are designed to explain: (1) the Dual-Route model of word identification (Coltheart et al., 2001); (2) the Simple-Recurrent Network model of sentence processing (Elman, 1990); (3) the Construction-Integration model of discourse representation (Kintsch, 1988); and (4) the E-Z Reader model of eye-movement control in reading (Reichle et al., 2012). These particular models are reviewed because they provide comprehensive accounts of a large number of empirical findings in each of their respective domains, and because they have advanced our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in reading by motivating new empirical studies. Future models of reading will build upon the success of their predecessors by integrating models from two or more of the aforementioned domains, thereby providing a means to examine the compatibility of their theoretical assumptions and more comprehensive accounts of the cognitive processes involved in reading.