This paper discusses some of the issues raised for cognitive psychologists by the computer revolution together with the role that psychologists with computer training ought to play, especially in the study of how people acquire complex skills. The issues addressed include: (1) the competition between humans and intelligent machines; (2) the destruction of apprenticeship opportunities by automation; (3) the flexibility of human intelligence and transfer of skills to different situations; and (4) the use of the computer as a research tool in the study of learning and thinking. A research project on the acquisition of radiological diagnostic skills is then described as an example of research on the learning processes involved in acquiring expertise in complex domains. This description includes the types of skills involved in diagnostic radiology, the methodologies used, and the findings of several related studies. A discussion of the need for the large scale longitudinal studies now possible with the use of computers to verify theories about complex skill learning concludes the paper. Several tables present data from the project and five references are listed. (DJR)