Connectionist Psychology A Text with Readings

This text provides a state-of-the-art overview of research that attempts to model aspects of human behaviour in terms of 'connectionist' architectures, using models with neural-like structures. The text covers the history of connectionism, the different connectionist architectures and learning algorithms that have been used. It then relates the models to psychological data on: memory, perception, sequential behaviour and attention, single word and higher-order linguistic processing, and neuropsychological disorders. Linked to the text are critical papers that serve to illustrate connectionist approaches to understanding the mind. The connectionist approach is reviewed in relation to other approaches to modelling in cognitive science, and pointers to future directions for research are outlined.