On the Implementation of Quasiregular Mappings by Feedforward Connectionist Networks

This thesis investigates the question of whether feedforward connectionist networks construct a functional dual route architecture to implement quasiregular cognitive mappings, such as the reading aloud of English text or the generation of English past tense verbs. Connectionist models are generally considered to constitute a challenge to the established dual route account, which posits that separate functional mechanisms are required to correctly map regular and exception items. However, a review of the connectionist literature reveals that both dissociations and double dissociations between regulars and exceptions have been recorded in lesioned connectionist networks; these findings demonstrate that there is a qualitatively similar body of evidence supporting the existence of a dual route in both human subjects and connectionist networks. Furthermore, it is found that the conceptual distinction typically drawn between connectionist and dual route models in the recent literature res..