Abstract
This article presents a theoretical account of the interaction between automatic processes and cognitive resources (attention & working memory) in reading: Compensatory-Encoding Theory. The theory postulates that once readers advance beyond beginning reading, neither inefficient skills, poorly written text, nor distracting reading environments need lower comprehension. The theory describes how, with advancing skill, readers more efficiently prevent automatic processes from failing and provide timely, accurate data to working memory even when automatic processes cannot. Compensatory actions include slowing reading rate, pausing, looking back in text, reading aloud, rereading, and explicit memory searching. The theory accounts for the findings of studies that have reported low correlations between the efficiency of reading subcomponent processes and comprehension as well as for why many interventions that have targeted improving comprehension by improving decoding have not been successful. Theoretical implications for reading research and cognitive science are considered. Implications of the theory for educational practice are also derived.