Dynamic attribute activation explains gaze biases in choice

People tend to choose the options they look at more. Prior work explains this effect by assuming that visual attention increases preference for the attended option. However, it remains unclear why looking at an option increases its preference and when this relationship is weakened. Using an experimental paradigm that combines eye-tracking and a think-aloud protocol, we provide evidence that visual attention shapes preference by activating attributes associated with the attended option. Critically, the content of these activated attributes depends on contextual factors such as stimulus desirability and behavioral goals. In standard choice settings, where the goal is to choose the preferred option, visual attention primarily activates positive attributes. In contrast, when these contextual factors are incongruent, activated attributes become less positive, reducing the influence of visual attention on choice. To account for these patterns, we propose a computational model of gaze-driven attribute activation. Our model subsumes existing theories as special cases, and uniquely predicts which attributes are brought to mind by gaze and how they shape downstream decisions. Together, our work offers a mechanistic explanation of a fundamental driver of choice as well as its boundary conditions.