What have neural networks achieved?

[Randall C. O'Reilly]

Another angle on the hippocampal story has to do with the phenomenon
of catestrophic interference (McCloskey & Cohen, 1989), and the notion
that the hippocampus and the cortex are complementary learning systems
that each optimize different functional objectives (McClelland,
McNaughton, & O'Reilly, 1995).  In this case, the neural network
approach provides a principled basis for understanding why we have a
hippocampus, and what its functional characteristics should be.
Interestingly, one of the "sucesses" of neural networks in this case
was their dramatic failure in the form of the catestrophic
interference phenomenon.  This failure tells us something about the
limitations of the cortical memory system, and thus, why we might need
a hippocampus.

				- Randy

@incollection{McCloskeyCohen89,
  author    = {McCloskey, M. and Cohen, N. J.},
  editor    = {G. H. Bower},
  title     = {Catastrophic interference in connectionist networks:
    {The} sequential learning problem},
  booktitle = {The Psychology of Learning and Motivation},
  pages     = {109-165},
  year      = 1989,
  publisher = {Academic Press},
  address   = {New York},
  volume    = 24
}

@article{McClellandMcNaughtonOReilly95,
  author    = {McClelland, J. L. and McNaughton, B. L. and O'Reilly, R. C.},
  title     = {Why There are Complementary Learning Systems in the Hippocampus and
    Neocortex: Insights from the Successes and Failures of Connectionst Models of 
    Learning and Memory},
  journal   = {Psychological Review},
  pages     = {419-457},
  year      = {1995},
  volume    = {102}
}

This article has lots of references to the relevant neural
network literature.  A TR version is available from the following 2
ftp sites:

ftp://cnbc.cmu.edu:/pub/pdp.cns/pdp.cns.94.1.ps.Z
ftp://grey.colorado.edu/pub/oreilly/tr/pdp.cns.94.1.ps.Z

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Dr. Randall C. O'Reilly        |                                            |
| Assistant Professor            |                                            |
| Department of Psychology       | Phone: (303) 492-0054                      |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Fax:   (303) 492-2967                      |
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