CONNEGTIONISM AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

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Abstract
A currently interesting set of models of perception, learning, and cognition---known as connectionist or neural net systems---have contributed to changes in the way cognitive scientists view brain function. A fruitful interaction between brain models and computer models leads us to think that the brain may be less dependent on a central processor, that there may be much brain work that is self-organizing, and that mind-brain dualism may be unnecessary. This article explores the implications for psychoanalytic theory that emerge from these new models. "All current evidence suggests that knowledge in the brain is not represented by a program---a set of instructions for manipulating signs---if anything, it is more likely to be represented by a network of connections."---Heinz R. Pagels The Dreams of Reason