University of Isfahan Applied Research on English Language 3134-0644 15 2 2026 04 01 Cognitive Pathways in Reading: Theoretical Developments from Interactive Models to the Multiple-Processing Account 175 198 30555 10.22108/are.2026.148691.2731 EN Amir Mahshanian Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Mohammad Taghi Shahnazari Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Journal Article 2026 04 20 This critical narrative review examines major theoretical models of reading comprehension, tracing their evolution and evaluating their contributions and limitations in explaining how readers construct meaning from text. Drawing on more than 80 foundational and contemporary studies identified through searches of major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar, the review synthesizes research on cognitive, linguistic, and metacognitive processes involved in reading. Beginning with traditional unidirectional frameworks—bottom-up and top-down models—it highlights their limitations in capturing the complex and interactive nature of skilled reading. The review then examines influential interactive and compensatory frameworks, including Rumelhart’s Interactive Model, Stanovich’s Interactive-Compensatory Model, Perfetti’s Verbal Efficiency Model, Walczyk’s Compensatory-Encoding Model, and Just and Carpenter’s Capacity-Constrained Reader (CC READER) Model. Particular attention is given to their treatment of working memory, automaticity, compensation, and individual differences. The review further discusses the Multiple-Processing Model as a proficiency-sensitive framework that explains how working memory allocation and the automatization of lower-level linguistic processes vary across L2 readers. This review identifies key theoretical gaps and proposes directions for future research, emphasizing the need for more integrative and empirically validated accounts of reading comprehension that accommodate proficiency differences, cognitive resource dynamics, and cross-linguistic variation. https://are.ui.ac.ir/article_30555_772249bda4ca511b72edd66edcc99f76.pdf