Which of the following is a connectionist model proposing that concepts are represented by activity that is spread across a network?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let’s break down what each option tends to claim about how concepts are represented in cognitive models:
Option 1: The prototype approach. This posits that categories are represented by a best example or prototype of the category rather than by distributed activity across a network. It emphasizes a single or central representative rather than a network-wide pattern of activation. This makes it unlikely to be the connectionist view described.
Option 2: Enhancement due to priming. Priming effects show how prior exposure can influence subsequent processing, but this term describes a phenomenon or experimental manipulation rather than a full representational theory of concepts across a network. It doesn’t specify a network-wide distributed representation as the core idea.
Option 3: Parallel distributed processing theory. This approach explicitly argues that cognitive representations arise from patterns of activation that are spread across many units in a neural-like network (hence parallel and distributed). Concepts are not localized to a single node but emerge from distributed activity across the network, which matches the description given.
Option 4: Semantic network theory. This theory envisions concepts as nodes connected by links in a network, with activations spreading along edges. While it involves networks and spreading activation, it frames representations as networks of linked nodes rather than the distributed, parallel activation pattern across a large interconnected network emphasized by parallel distributed processing.
In summary, options 1 and 4 touch on network-like ideas but do not capture the core claim of “concepts represented by activity that is spread across a network” in the same way as parallel distributed processing. Option 2 describes a cognitive phenomenon rather than a representational model. The most fitting description among the choices is the one that emphasizes distributed, parallel activation across a network as the basis for concept representation, aligning with parallel distributed processing theory.

Which of the following is a connectionist model proposing that concepts are represented by activity that is spread across a network?

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