2,551 research outputs found
From neural PCA to deep unsupervised learning
A network supporting deep unsupervised learning is presented. The network is
an autoencoder with lateral shortcut connections from the encoder to decoder at
each level of the hierarchy. The lateral shortcut connections allow the higher
levels of the hierarchy to focus on abstract invariant features. While standard
autoencoders are analogous to latent variable models with a single layer of
stochastic variables, the proposed network is analogous to hierarchical latent
variables models. Learning combines denoising autoencoder and denoising sources
separation frameworks. Each layer of the network contributes to the cost
function a term which measures the distance of the representations produced by
the encoder and the decoder. Since training signals originate from all levels
of the network, all layers can learn efficiently even in deep networks. The
speedup offered by cost terms from higher levels of the hierarchy and the
ability to learn invariant features are demonstrated in experiments.Comment: A revised version of an article that has been accepted for
publication in Advances in Independent Component Analysis and Learning
Machines (2015), edited by Ella Bingham, Samuel Kaski, Jorma Laaksonen and
Jouko Lampine
Behaviourally meaningful representations from normalisation and context-guided denoising
Many existing independent component analysis algorithms include a preprocessing stage where the inputs are sphered. This amounts to normalising the data such that all correlations between the variables are removed. In this work, I show that sphering allows very weak contextual modulation to steer the development of meaningful features. Context-biased competition has been proposed as a model of covert attention and I propose that sphering-like normalisation also allows weaker top-down bias to guide attention
Neural coding strategies and mechanisms of competition
A long running debate has concerned the question of whether neural
representations are encoded using a distributed or a local coding scheme. In
both schemes individual neurons respond to certain specific patterns of
pre-synaptic activity. Hence, rather than being dichotomous, both coding
schemes are based on the same representational mechanism. We argue that a
population of neurons needs to be capable of learning both local and distributed
representations, as appropriate to the task, and should be capable of generating
both local and distributed codes in response to different stimuli. Many neural
network algorithms, which are often employed as models of cognitive processes,
fail to meet all these requirements. In contrast, we present a neural network
architecture which enables a single algorithm to efficiently learn, and respond
using, both types of coding scheme
Cortex, countercurrent context, and dimensional integration of lifetime memory
The correlation between relative neocortex size and longevity in mammals encourages a search for a cortical function specifically related to the life-span. A candidate in the domain of permanent and cumulative memory storage is proposed and explored in relation to basic aspects of cortical organization. The pattern of cortico-cortical connectivity between functionally specialized areas and the laminar organization of that connectivity converges on a globally coherent representational space in which contextual embedding of information emerges as an obligatory feature of cortical function. This brings a powerful mode of inductive knowledge within reach of mammalian adaptations, a mode which combines item specificity with classificatory generality. Its neural implementation is proposed to depend on an obligatory interaction between the oppositely directed feedforward and feedback currents of cortical activity, in countercurrent fashion. Direct interaction of the two streams along their cortex-wide local interface supports a scheme of "contextual capture" for information storage responsible for the lifelong cumulative growth of a uniquely cortical form of memory termed "personal history." This approach to cortical function helps elucidate key features of cortical organization as well as cognitive aspects of mammalian life history strategies
A feedback model of perceptual learning and categorisation
Top-down, feedback, influences are known to have significant effects on visual information processing. Such influences are also likely to affect perceptual learning. This article employs a computational model of the cortical region interactions underlying visual perception to investigate possible influences of top-down information on learning. The results suggest that feedback could bias the way in which perceptual stimuli are categorised and could also facilitate the learning of sub-ordinate level representations suitable for object identification and perceptual expertise
Review: Object vision in a structured world
In natural vision, objects appear at typical locations, both with respect to visual space (e.g., an airplane in the upper part of a scene) and other objects (e.g., a lamp above a table). Recent studies have shown that object vision is strongly adapted to such positional regularities. In this review we synthesize these developments, highlighting that adaptations to positional regularities facilitate object detection and recognition, and sharpen the representations of objects in visual cortex. These effects are pervasive across various types of high-level content. We posit that adaptations to real-world structure collectively support optimal usage of limited cortical processing resources. Taking positional regularities into account will thus be essential for understanding efficient object vision in the real world
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