Letting Structure Emerge: Connectionist and Dynamical Systems Approaches to Cognition

摘要

Connectionist and dynamical systems approaches explain human thought, language and behavior in terms of the emergent consequences of a large number of simple non-cognitive processes. We view the entities that serve as the basis for structured probabilistic approaches as sometimes useful but often misleading abstractions that have no real basis in the actual processes that give rise to linguistic and cognitive abilities or the development of these abilities. While structured probabilistic approaches can be useful in determining what would be optimal under certain assumptions, we suggest that approaches such as the connectionist and dynamical systems approaches, which focus on explaining the mechanisms giving rise to cognition, will be essential in achieving a full understanding of cognition and development.