Connectionist

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A theoretical framework in cognitive science that stresses neural networks' significance in modeling mental processes through interacting units that emulate cognitive functions and learning patterns
2. This approach highlights the importance of interconnected units in understanding how cognition and learning occur, proposing that intelligence emerges from networked connections rather than strict rules or symbolic representation
3. A person who supports or works within the connectionist approach, focusing on modeling mental functions with networks of simple units

Etymology: "Connectionist" is a plain formation: English "connection" with the suffix "-ist", meaning one who adheres to or supports a doctrine. The "-ist" ending came into English through Middle English from Old French, and ultimately traces back to the Greek "-istēs" used to form agent nouns, as in "artist" or "physicist." "Connection" itself has a Latin ancestry. It derives from the verb "connectere," meaning "to tie together," built from "com-" (together) and "nectere" (to bind). Through Old French and Middle English, the noun reached English in its earlier form, and "connectionist" developed on that base. The word's current sense, a supporter of neural network models in cognitive science and computing, is a modern technical use built on the older, general meaning of a connection as a link or joining. The prefix and suffix work together here just as they would in any other English compound of this kind.

Synonyms: neural network