Ten years of the rational analysis of cognition

Rational analysis is an empirical program that attempts to explain the func tion and purpose of cognitive processes. This article looks back on a decad e of research outlining the rational analysis methodology and how the appro ach relates to other work in cognitive science. We illustrate rational anal ysis by considering how it has been applied to memory and reasoning. From t he perspective of traditional cognitive science, the cognitive system can a ppear to be a rather arbitrary assortment of mechanisms with equally arbitr ary limitations. In contrast, rational analysis views cognition as intricat ely adapted to its environment and to the problems it faces.