Summary
This paper deals with three issues. First, the symbol-manipulation versus connectionism controversy is discussed briefly. Both can be seen as formalisms or languages for describing human behavior, but it is argued that these languages are not fully equivalent. The importance of the ability of connectionist models to learn autonomously, often underestimated, allows them to perform tasks that may defy formalization. Secondly, the structural and functional characteristics of a new connectionist learning model are presented. It avoids some of the psychological and biological implausibilities of currently popular models and solves some of the problems and shortcomings of these models. Thirdly, some simulation results are presented. The model successfully simulates the dissociation between explicit and implicit memory performance as found in patients with anterograde amnesia. This simulation provides an example of the advantages of using the connectionist language in the domain of memory psychology. It is also a good example of how psychological evidence can be used to improve connectionist models.
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The second author is supported by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
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Wolters, G., Phaf, R.H. Implicit and explicit memory: Implications for the symbol-manipulation versus connectionism controversy. Psychol. Res 52, 137–144 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877521
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00877521