Connectionism is a way of modeling how the brain uses streams of sensory inputs to understand the world and produce behavior, based on cognitive processes which actually occur. This book describes the principles, and their application to explaining how the brain produces speech, forms memories and recognizes faces, how intellect develops, and how it deteriorates after brain damage. The models range from some well-known classics to others at the frontiers of current research. Also included is a disk with the software for running tlearn, a user-friendly simulator for connectionist modeling of cognitive processes, which will run on either PCs or Macs. Written by leading researchers in their field, this first up-to-date textbook on connectionist modeling, will provide an essential and accessible introduction to the field.

finally i have found a book that says "this is what we know how to do. this is how it works. this is how YOU do it." the things that can be done with the information in this book are quite astonishing.

although this book is exclusively about the design and funcion of connectionist neural networks, (rather than the construction of them), the simulator it supplies is quite frankly exellent.

the book covers many useful topics including the basics of facial recognition, voice recognition, language acquisition, and prototype extraction, as well as delving into various other human cognitive process simulations such as episodal memory formation.

i think so highly of this book that i am going to purchase a second copy in the near future, just in case something happens to the first one (which is already falling apart from the amount of use its been getting).

my future purchases for artificial intelligence books will not be made from the artificial intelligence category, but rather, cognitive science, computational nueroscience, and anything written by the authors of this book (Peter McLeod, Kim Plunkett & Edmund T. Rolls).

0 of 1 found the following review helpful:


nice one  Oct 15, 2009 By Thiago S. Rivero
Th only problem is that it came without the cd with examples.
But a very nice book indeed!