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Project 8: Theoretical Foundations
This project considers the principles underlying the
parallel-distributed processing framework, including the principles of
learning,implications of these principles and their relationship to principles
arising at other levels. The principles are cast at a level similar
to Marr's algorithm level, with the proviso that the underlying
biological machinery provides constraints and affordances that shape
the processes and representations at the algorithmic level. The
consideration of the algorithms used, therefore, is strongly guided by
constraints arising from the biological level (Center Aim 3},
with lesser, but still important emphasis on constraints arising from
the computational level.
The effort is divided into three parts. Part 1 focuses on learning
and begins at the algorithmic level, proposing an integrated learning
algorithm intended to unify supervised and unsupervised learning. It
considers computational effectiveness but places greater weight on
biological plausibility, in that it is strongly shaped by our
increasing understanding of mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the
brain. Part 2 focuses on representation, beginning at the
computational level. It considers whether the representations used in
the brain (e.g., the receptive field properties of neurons at various
levels of visual processing) can be understood as appropriate
solutions to the essential computational problem, namely that of
inferring the structure in the world from sensory information. Part 3
focuses on the dynamics of processing and is grounded in our growing
appreciation of the details of these dynamics as they are observed in
real neurons. It considers (a) the implications of these details for
behavior and cognition; and (b) whether these implications can be
captured at the more abstract level of the parallel-distributed
processing framework via suitable reformulation and extension of the
principles. All three parts ultimately target the algorithmic level,
in that each has implications that may lead to improved statements of
the principles of the framework. The work will interface with all of
the other projects in this proposal.
Key Personnel:
| Name | Organization | Role on Project |
| James L. McClelland | Carnegie Mellon/CNBC | Principal Investigator |
| Carson C. Chow | Univ. of Pittsburgh/CNBC | Co-PI |
| Michael Lewicki | Carnegie Mellon/CNBC | Co-PI |
| Randall C. O'Reilly | Univ. of Colorado, Boulder | Co-PI |
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