Publisher's Synopsis
Over the past few years neural computing (otherwise known as connectionism) has undergone a transformation; from being a half-forgotten backwater it has suddenly become a subject of intense interest. To date, however, most of the excitement has centered upon current research in the United States and this has tended to obscure two facts; firstly, that the history of neural computing can be traced back to the very origins of the digital computer itself, and secondly, that it is a field in which European researchers have made and are continuing to make a significant contribution.;This book aims to remedy these misconceptions. It presents 16 specially-commissioned papers from European researchers, including theoreticians such as Tuevo Kohonen, Eduardo Caianiello and the editor Igor Aleksander. The contributions are arranged in three parts: the classical perspective; the logical perspective; and analysis and interpretation. The book stresses the more practically oriented approach which dominates European work on neural computing and includes an summary of existing PDP (Parallel Distributed Processing) methodology.;This book should be of interest to computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, physiologists, psychologists and cognitive scientists.