Modeling human mental processes
Herbert A. Simon · 1961
There now exist at least a half dozen computer programs that simulate some of the information processes that humans use to perform problem solving, learning, perceiving, and thinking tasks. These programs constitute theoretical explanations of the corresponding human behavior, and can be tested by comparing the computer traces they produce with the verbal behavior of subjects in the psychological laboratory. This paper surveys this new kind of theory building and theory testing in psychology, and relates it to other uses of simulation as a tool of psychological research.