Re: Symbols, Images and Neural Nets

From: Linketscher, Nadja (nbl196@soton.ac.uk)
Date: Thu Feb 20 1997 - 08:41:00 GMT


I am trying to put the bits and pieces together that we have
got so far.

Cognitive science proposes three different approaches to explain the
mind: computation, analogy and neural nets. Both computation and
analogy are based on the assumption that there are mental
representations, which consist of symbols or images. According to my
understanding, they differ in that computation manipulates symbols
using algorithm (operates on shapes, meaning is irrelevant), whereas
the latter modifies images and related to it their meaning. Neural
nets, on the other hand, operate on the basis of back propagation. This
concept suggests that people learn to act intelligently on the world by
trial and error and feedback (operant conditioning). All three models
can be simulated using a computer. Is that correct?



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