But humans also process information in massively parallel networks as, for example, when we recognize the pattern in a visual scene. These various disciplines bring a variety of methods to bear on the study of intelligent behavior. Each discipline can be characterizd by its primary method, but these methods are not the exclusive domain of any particular discipline. Cognitive scientists of any stripe likely employ methods of other disciplines. Comparison of program and human performance enables the inference that human behavior is at least similar to program execution.
Emulations constitute theories about human performance.
Simulations may have no necessary relationship to human performance. Linguistics studies competence and performance of the particular kind of intelligent behavior we call language. The study of linguistic competence is a primary concern of generative linguistics. The study of linguistic performance is a primary concern of psycholinguistics. The methods of neuroscience include comparisons with dysfunctional and normally functioning brains.