Give-N you Bayes and Backpropagation (Pt. I)

For the first time ever, Jenny and Deon recorded a two-part episode! This is Part I! In this episode, Deon introduces the basics of connectionist modeling and answers Jenny’s many questions about how these models work, how information can be represented in these systems (e.g., localist vs. distributed representations), and the role of theory in grounding decisions about which representation to use. They also discuss how connectionist models can model everything from simple problems like the Boolean AND function to developmental problems like the give-N task. Jenny and Deon also spend some time talking about Lee & Sarnecka’s (2010) Bayesian model of children’s give-N performance, Marr’s levels of analysis, why computational-level explanations alone are ultimately not enough, and what algorithmic- and implementational-level explanations provide that computational-level ones might not.

Stay tuned for Part II!

Links
Lee, M. D., & Sarnecka, B. W. (2010). A model of knower‐level behavior in number concept development. Cognitive science, 34(1), 51-67. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1551-6709.2009.01063.x
Rogers, T. T. (2009). Connectionist models. Encyclopaedia of Neuroscience, L. Squire (Ed.), Oxford: Academic Press, 75-82. https://vanderbilt.box.com/s/momlzz9euvrd8bf4tfygozfqqks82on8