Cortical amplification has been proposed as a mechanism for enhancing the selectivity of neurons in the primary visual cortex. Less appreciated is the fact that the same form of amplification can also be used to de-tune or broaden selectivity. Using a network model with recurrent cortical circuitry, we propose that the spatial phase invariance of complex cell responses arises through recurrent amplification of feedforward input.

Using a recurrent neural network of excitatory spiking neurons with adapting synapses we show that both effects could be explained by a fast and a slow component inthe synaptic adaptation.

I consider the problem of learning concepts from small numbers of positive examples,a feat which humans perform routinely but which computers arerarely capable of. Bridging machine learning and cognitive science perspectives, I present both theoretical analysis and an empirical study with human subjects for the simple task oflearning concepts corresponding toaxis-aligned rectangles in a multidimensional feature space. Existing learning models, when applied to this task, cannot explain how subjects generalize from only a few examples of the concept. I propose a principled Bayesian model based on the assumption that the examples are a random sample from the concept to be learned. The model gives precise fits to human behavior on this simple task and provides qualitati ve insights into more complex, realistic cases of concept learning.

Zili Lin Rutgers University, Newark DaphnaWeinshall Hebrew University, Israel Abstract The learning of many visual perceptual tasks has been shown to be specific to practiced stimuli, while new stimuli require re-Iearning from scratch. Here we demonstrate generalization using a novel paradigm in motion discrimination where learning has been previously shownto be specific. We trained subjects to discriminate the directions of moving dots, and verified the previous results that learning does not transfer from the trained direction to a new one. However, by tracking the subjects' performance across time in the new direction, we found that their rate of learning doubled. Therefore, learning generalized in a task previously considered too difficult for generalization.

A binding problem occurs when two different events (or objects) are represented identically. For example, representing "John hit Ted" by activating

Humans demonstrate a remarkable ability to generate accurate and appropriate motor behavior under many different and oftpn uncprtain environmental conditions. This paper describes a new modular approach tohuman motor learning and control, baspd on multiple pairs of inverse (controller) and forward (prpdictor) models. This architecture simultaneously learns the multiple inverse models necessary for control as well as how to select the inverse models appropriate for a given em'ironm0nt. Simulationsof object manipulation demonstrates the ability to learn mUltiple objects, appropriate generalization to novel objects and the inappropriate activation of motor programs based on visual cues, followed by online correction, seen in the "size-weight illusion".

Despite the fact that mental arithmetic is based on only a few hundred basicfacts and some simple algorithms, humans have a difficult time mastering the subject, and even experienced individuals make mistakes. Associative multiplication, the process of doing multiplication by memory without the use of rules or algorithms, is especially problematic.

As a benchmark task, the spiral problem is well known in neural networks. Unlikeprevious work that emphasizes learning, we approach the problem from a generic perspective that does not involve learning. We point out that the spiral problem is intrinsically connected to the inside/outside problem.A generic solution to both problems is proposed based on oscillatory correlation using a time delay network. Our simulation resultsare qualitatively consistent with human performance, and we interpret human limitations in terms of synchrony and time delays, both biologically plausible. As a special case, our network without time delays can always distinguish these figures regardless of shape, position, size, and orientation.

On 30 October 1998, Mihaela Sabin and I ran the Constraint Problem Reformulation Workshop in conjunction with the Fourth International Conference on the Principles and Practices of Constraint Programming held in Pisa, Italy. The goals of the workshop were to discuss the nature of constraint problem reformulation and the benefits and difficulties in reformulating constraint problems and to summarize and understand the recent work in this area.

January 18, 2000 Email: marie@ai.sri.com