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Connectionism and Developmental Psychology
Author(s) -
Plunkett Kim,
KarmiloffSmith Annette,
Bates Elizabeth,
Elman Jeffrey L.,
Johnson Mark H.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01505.x
Subject(s) - connectionism , psychology , cognitive science , cognition , process (computing) , cognitive development , information processing , child development , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , computer science , neuroscience , operating system
What features of brain processing and neural development support linguistic and cognitive development in young children? To what extern arc the profile and timing of development in young children determined by a preordained genetic programme? Does the environment play a crucial role in determining the patterns of change observed in children growing up? These questions have been of central concern to developmental psychologists for well over a century. Yet none of them have received answers that are generally accepted by the profession. This article reviews some recent computational modelling of developmental change in children that promise to contribute to a deeper understanding of the issues behind these questions. The modelling work exploits artificial neural networks that mimic some of the basic properties of neural processing in the brain. These networks involve densely connected webs of simple processing units that propagate and transform complex pattern of activity. When exposed to a training environment, they undergo a process of selforganization , yielding information processing systems that support new forms of behavior The study of the dynamics of these systems and their learning capabilities promises to provide us with important clues as to the nature of the mechanisms underlying development iii infants and young children.