Artificial Cognition: How Experimental Psychology Can Help Generate Explainable Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence powered by deep neural networks has reached a levelof complexity where it can be difficult or impossible to express how a modelmakes its decisions. This black-box problem is especially concerning when themodel makes decisions with consequences for human well-being. In response,an emerging field called explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) aims to increasethe interpretability, fairness, and transparency of machine learning. In thispaper, we describe how cognitive psychologists can make contributions to XAI.The human mind is also a black box, and cognitive psychologists have overone hundred and fifty years of experience modeling it through experimentation.We ought to translate the methods and rigour of cognitive psychology to thestudy of artificial black boxes in the service of explainability. We provide areview of XAI for psychologists, arguing that current methods possess a blindspot that can be complemented by the experimental cognitive tradition. Wealso provide a framework for research in XAI, highlight exemplary cases ofexperimentation within XAI inspired by psychological science, and provide atutorial on experimenting with machines. We end by noting the advantages ofan experimental approach and invite other psychologists to conduct research inthis exciting new field.