Introduction To Connectionist Modelling Of Cognitive Processes

Connectionism is a way of modelling how the brain uses streams of sensory inputs to understand the world and produce behaviour, based on cognitive processes which actually occur. This book describes the principles, and their application to explaining how the brain produces speech, forms memories and recognises faces, how intellect develops, and how it deteriorates after brain damage. Part I explores the basic concepts, the architecture and properties of the most common connectionist models, and how connectionist learning rules work. Part II describes and evaluates connectionist models of a variety of cognitive processes, including the learning and production of speech, the formation of episodic memories and visual representations, the development of cognitive processes in infancy, and their breakdown in brain-damaged patients. The models range from some well-known classics to others at the frontiers of current research. Each chapter ends with a list of recommended further reading. Also included is a disk with the software for running tlearn, a user-friendly simulator for connectionist modelling of cognitive processes, which will run on either PCs or Macs. The software includes exercises to introduce the simulator, and working copies to explore some of the models described in the text. A reference handbook for tlearn is included to enable readers to build their own models. The authors, as well as being leading researchers in their field, have extensive experienceof teaching connectionism to undergraduates. They have written the first comprehensive, up-to-date textbook on connectionist modelling, designed specifically for advanced undergraduates, and accessible to those with only limited knowledge of mathematics. This will be an essential introductory text for all students in psychology or cognitive science taking a course on connectionism.

Connectionist Models in Cognitive Psychology is a state-of-the-art review of neural network modelling in core areas of cognitive psychology including: memory and learning, language (written and spoken), cognitive development, cognitive control, attention and action. The chapters discuss neural network models in a clear and accessible style, with an emphasis on the relationship between the models and relevant experimental data drawn from experimental psychology, neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. These lucid high-level contributions will serve as introductory articles for postgraduates and researchers whilst being of great use to undergraduates with an interest in the area of connectionist modelling.

Connectionist modelling and neural network applications had become a major sub-field of cognitive science by the mid-1990s. In this ground-breaking book, originally published in 1995, leading connectionists shed light on current approaches to memory and language modelling at the time. The book is divided into four sections: Memory; Reading; Computation and statistics; Speech and audition. Each section is introduced and set in context by the editors, allowing a wide range of language and memory issues to be addressed in one volume. This authoritative advanced level book will still be of interest for all engaged in connectionist research and the related areas of cognitive science concerned with language and memory.

This title presents the most comprehensive existing "case study" of how the effects of damage in connectionist models can replicate the patterns of cognitive impairments that can arise in humans as a result of brain damage.

This book collects together refereed versions of papers presented at the Eighth Neural Computation and Psychology Workshop (NCPW 8). NCPW is a well-established workshop series that brings together researchers from different disciplines, such as artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, neurobiology, philosophy and psychology. The articles are centred on the theme of connectionist modelling of cognition and perceptionn. The proceedings have been selected for coverage in: • Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings® (ISTP® / ISI Proceedings) • Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings) • Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings® (ISSHP® / ISI Proceedings) • Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings) • CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences • CC Proceedings — Biomedical, Biological & Agricultural Sciences Contents:An Extended Buffer Model for Active Maintenance and Selective Updating (E J Davelaar & M Usher)Applying Forward Models to Sequence Learning: A Connectionist Implementation (D Theofilou, A Destrebecqz & A Cleeremans)Modelling Asymmetric Infant Categorization with the Representational Acuity Hypothesis (G Westermann & D Mareschal)Solving the Visual Expertise Mystery (C A Joyce & G W Cottrell)Through Attention to Consciousness by CODAM (J G Taylor)Modeling Visual Search: Evolving the Selective Attention for Identification Model (SAIM) (D Heinke, G W Humphreys & C L Tweed)A Temporal Attractor Framework for the Development of Analogical Completion (R Leech, D Mareschal & R Cooper)On the Evolution of Irrational Behaviour (J A Bullinaria)Reading, Sublexical Units and Scrambled Words: Capturing the Human Data (R C Shillcock & P Monaghan)and other papers Readership: Graduate students, academics and researchers in neural networks, artificial intelligence and psychology. Keywords:Neural Networks;Connectionism;Psychology;Perception;Cognition

An innovative, topical and engaging reader to accompany advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses in cognition Presents a unique collection of key articles by leading international researchers in cognition, cognitive neuropsychology and connectionism Brings together in one place articles that challenge or inform traditional theories of cognition Spotlights current areas of debate and controversy in cogntive psychology of interest to students and researchers alike Editors are widely known in their fields and are authors of successful textbooks Introduction and linking sections provide essential context and evaluation

This book is a practical guide to building computational models of high-level cognitive processes and systems. High-level processes are those central cognitive processes involved in thinking, reasoning, planning, and so on. These processes appear to share representational and processing requirements, and it is for this reason that they are considered together in this text. The book is divided into three parts. Part I considers foundational and background issues. Part II provides a series of case studies spanning a range of cognitive domains. Part III reflects upon issues raised by the case studies. Teachers of cognitive modeling may use material from Part I to structure lectures and practical sessions, with chapters in Part II forming the basis of in-depth student projects. All models discussed in this book are developed within the COGENT environments. COGENT provides a graphical interface in which models may be sketched as "box and arrow" diagrams and is both a useful teaching tool and a productive research tool. As such, this book is designed to be of use to both students of cognitive modeling and active researchers. For students, the book provides essential background material plus an extensive set of example models, exercises and project material. Researchers of both symbolic and connectionist persuasions will find the book of interest for its approach to cognitive modeling, which emphasizes methodological issues. They will also find that the COGENT environment itself has much to offer.