I would imagine that there are a number of different ways a particular brain could be more successful than another at performing a particular cognitive task. I

I would imagine that there are a number of different ways a particular brain could be more successful than another at performing a particular cognitive task. I do believe you are right in thinking that some of them are better thought of as algorithmic, but some of them are perhaps simple and independent (such as better memory recall). Neither algorithmic structures in the brain nor simple characteristics like recall/speed of language parsing can explain everything if we are to believe that the human brain is as complicated as evidence demonstrates.