The Recruitment and Termination Threshold (RTT) Framework: A Threshold-Based Model of Individual Variation in Deliberative Processing

Human cognition varies in how readily deliberative processing is recruited and how long it is maintained. Existing dual‑process and cognitive‑control accounts describe this transition but specify little about the individual‑difference parameters governing entry and exit. The Recruitment and Termination Threshold (RTT) Framework proposes separable threshold parameters. The Recruitment Threshold (RT) determines the uncertainty level required to recruit deliberation; the Termination Threshold (TT) determines the level when it is released. Their difference constitutes a hysteresis gap (Δ), representing persistence of deliberative engagement once recruited. RTT thus distinguishes variation in the likelihood of entering deliberation from variation in the tendency to sustain it. RTT treats these parameters as potentially stable individual differences interacting with motivational and environmental conditions, and with dynamic opportunity costs from limited capacity. This architecture accounts for opposing patterns of engagement: low RT may promote frequent recruitment and prolonged expenditure, whereas variation in TT may produce premature disengagement or prolonged persistence. These configurations are not inherently pathological; their consequences depend on interactions with environmental demands and capacity. RTT reframes neurodevelopmental differences, including autism and ADHD, as outcomes of threshold–environment mismatch rather than intrinsic deficit. The framework predicts dissociable recruitment and termination: termination‑related variance should remain after accounting for RT and general cognitive capacity. Individual differences in RT should be most evident when recruitment is not externally required; termination parameters should predict persistence once deliberation begins. RTT is presented as a theoretical framework for organising empirical tests rather than an established explanation of individual or clinical differences.