Revising Conceptual Similarity by Neural Networks

Abstract

Similarity is an excellent example of a domain-general source of information. Even when we do not have specific knowledge of a domain, we can use similarity as a default method to reason about it Similarity also plays a significant role in psychological accounts of problem solving, memory, prediction, and categorisation. However, despite the strong presence of similarity judgments in our reasoning, a general conceptual model of similarity has yet to be agreed upon. In this paper, we propose an alternative, unifying solution in this challenge in concept research based on the recent Eliasmith's theory of biological cognition. Specifically we introduce the Semantic Pointer Model of Similarity (SPMS) which describes concepts in terms of processes involving a recently postulated class of mental representations called semantic pointers. We discuss how such model is in accordance with the main guidelines of most traditional models known in literature, on the one hand, and gives a solution to most of the criticisms against these models, on the other. We also present some preliminary experimental evaluation in order to support our theory and verify whether similarities derived by human judgments can be compatible with the SPMS.