When precision pays: Costs, benefits, and constraints in good-enough production
Abstract
Lexical selection involves a trade-off between message alignment (saying the most accurate word) and accessibility (saying the easiest word). We test predictions of a resource-rational model of lexical retrieval against a fixed-cost alternative, using a novel word-learning task. Participants learn words for novel compass directions and use these words to label prototypical and novel angles on the compass. In Experiment 1, we manipulated the relative frequency of the new vocabulary terms as well as the response deadline to test whether good-enough effects scale with accessibility differences and time pressure. In Experiment 2, we manipulate the payoff for precise responses to test whether speakers adjust their strategies when precision is more valuable. Together, these experiments provide a parametric test of the hypothesis that word choice reflects rational trade-offs between retrieval costs and communicative benefits, with implications for understanding language production as a form of resource-rational decision-making.