Babies, Variables, and Connectionist Networks

Michael Gasser
Indiana University

Is cognition associationist or symbolic or both?
Is language learning associationist or symbolic or both?
What language learning mechanisms do babies have?

(Babies can learn the statistical properties of syllable sequences.)

Babies can learn the rules embodied in syllable sequences.
What features would a neural network need to learn such rules?

What is involved in solving the syllable rule task?

Sequential time can be handled by delay connections.

Segmentation can be handled by synchronization on a binding dimension.

Relations can be handled by micro-relation units.
Can a neural network learn the rule task?

Playpen incorporates delay connections, a binding dimension, and micro-relation units.

(Playpen can learn statistical regularities in sequences.)

Playpen can learn rules in sequences.
What can this tell us about variables, variable-like behavior, and neural networks?

http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~gasser/Talks/MAICS99/