We analyze the "query by committee" algorithm, a method for filtering informative queries from a random stream of inputs. We show that if the two-member committee algorithm achieves information gain with positive lower bound, then the prediction error decreases exponentially with the number of queries. We show that, in particular, this exponential decrease holds for query learning of thresholded smooth functions.

The ensemble dynamics of stochastic learning algorithms can be studied using theoretical techniques from statistical physics. We develop the equations of motion for the weight space probability densities for stochastic learning algorithms. We discuss equilibria in the diffusion approximation and provide expressions for special cases of the LMS algorithm. The equilibrium densities are not in general thermal (Gibbs) distributions in the objective function being minimized, but rather depend upon an effective potential that includes diffusion effects. Finally we present an exact analytical expression for the time evolution of the density for a learning algorithm with weight updates proportional to the sign of the gradient.

We present an MS-TDNN for recognizing butcontinuously spelled letters, a task characterized by a small highly confusable vocabulary.

We have designed, fabricated, and tested an analog VLSI chip which computes radial basis functions in parallel. We have developed asynapse circuit that approximates a quadratic function. We aggregate these circuits to form radial basis functions. These radial basis functions are then averaged together using a follower aggregator. 1 INTRODUCTION Radial basis functions (RBFs) are a mel hod for approximating a function from scattered training points [Powell, H)87]. RBFs have been used to solve recognition and prediction problems with a fair amonnt of success [Lee, 1991] [Moody, 1989] [Platt, 1991]. The first layer of an RBF network computes t.he distance of the input to the network to a set of stored memories. Each basis function is a nonlinear function of a corresponding distance. Tht basis functions are then added together with second-layer weights to produce the output of the network.

We present a local learning rule in which Hebbian learning is conditional on an incorrect prediction of a reinforcement signal. We propose a biological interpretation of such a framework and display its utility through examples in which the reinforcement signal is cast as the delivery of a neuromodulator to its target. Three exam pIes are presented which illustrate how this framework can be applied to the development of the oculomotor system. 1 INTRODUCTION Activity-dependent accounts of the self-organization of the vertebrate brain have relied ubiquitously on correlational (mainly Hebbian) rules to drive synaptic learning. Inthe brain, a major problem for any such unsupervised rule is that many different kinds of correlations exist at approximately the same time scales and each is effectively noise to the next. For example, relationships within and between the retinae among variables such as color, motion, and topography may mask one another and disrupt their appropriate segregation at the level of the thalamus or cortex.

Using statistical physicstechniques including the Gibbs distribution, binary decision fields and effective energies, we propose self-organizing PCA rules which are capable of resisting outliers while fulfilling various PCA-related tasks such as obtaining the first principal component vector,the first k principal component vectors, and directly finding the subspace spanned by the first k vector principal component vectorswithout solving for each vector individually. Comparative experimentshave shown that the proposed robust rules improve the performances of the existing PCA algorithms significantly whenoutliers are present.

This paper examines and extends the work of Linsker (1986) on self organising feature detectors. Linsker concentrates on the visual processingsystem, but infers that the weak assumptions made will allow the model to be used in the processing of other sensory information. This claim is examined here, with special attention paid to the auditory system, where there is much lower connectivity andtherefore more statistical variability. Online training is utilised, to obtain an idea of training times. These are then compared tothe time available to prenatal mammals for the formation of feature sensitive cells. 1 INTRODUCTION Within the last thirty years, a great deal of research has been carried out in an attempt to understand the development of cells in the pathways between the sensory apparatus and the cortex in mammals. For example, theories for the development of feature detectors were forwarded by Nass and Cooper (1975), by Grossberg (1976) and more recently Obermayer et al (1990). Hubel and Wiesel (1961) established the existence of several different types of feature sensitivecell in the visual cortex of cats. Various subsequent experiments have 1007 1008 Walton and Bisset shown that a considerable amount of development takes place before birth (i.e.

An artificial neural network (ANN) is commonly modeled by a threshold circuit, a network of interconnected processing units called linear threshold gates. The depth of a network represents the number of unit delays or the time for parallel computation. The SIze of a circuit is the number of gates and measures the amount of hardware. It was known that traditional logic circuits consisting of only unbounded fan-in AND, OR, NOT gates would require at least O(log n/log log n) depth to compute common arithmetic functions such as the product or the quotient of two n-bit numbers, unless we allow the size (and fan-in) to increase exponentially (in n). We show in this paper that ANNs can be much more powerful than traditional logic circuits.

We have trained networks of E - II units with short-range connections tosimulate simple cellular automata that exhibit complex or chaotic behaviour. Three levels of learning are possible (in decreasing orderof difficulty): learning the underlying automaton rule, learning asymptotic dynamical behaviour, and learning to extrapolate thetraining history. The levels of learning achieved with and without weight sharing for different automata provide new insight into their dynamics.

Neural network models have been criticized for their inability to make use of compositional representations. In this paper, we describe a series of psychological phenomena that demonstrate the role of structured representations in cognition. These findings suggest that people compare relational representations via a process of structural alignment. This process will have to be captured by any model of cognition, symbolic or subsymbolic.