What computers have shown us about the mind

Over the last half century or so, artificial intelligence models have failed to match the flexibility and adaptability of human performance. However, by incorporating statistical learning and interactivity into modern computational models in the form of neural networks, psychologists are able to gain insight into how our minds operate across a range of cognitive tasks. This article considers several of these tasks, namely reading, face processing, cognitive development and brain injury, in order to give a snapshot of the range of techniques and questions addressed by researchers using computational models in psychology.