3 The result of learning is often a network of simple units that acts as
though it “knows” abstract rules, although the rules themselves exist
only in the form of association strengths distributed across the entire
network.
Connectionism is sometimes referred to as parallel distributed processing
(PDP)or neural networks. There are slight differences among these terms, and
over time connectionism has come to be viewed as the most general term.
see also learning ruleconnectiven
another term for conjunction
connotationnconnotativeadj
the additional meanings that a word or phrase has beyond its central
meaning (see denotation). These meanings show people’s emotions and
attitudes towards what the word or phrase refers to. For example, child
could be defined as a young human being but there are many other character-
istics which different people associate with child, e.g. affectionate, amusing,
lovable, sweet, mischievous, noisy, irritating, grubby.
Some connotations may be shared by a group of people of the same cultural
or social background, sex, or age; others may be restricted to one or several
individuals and depend on their personal experience.
In a meaning system, that part of the meaning which is covered by connota-
tion is sometimes referred to asaffective meaning, connotative meaning,
or emotive meaning.
connotative meaningn
another term for connotation
consciousnessn
in general, subjective experience, especially awareness both of stimuli in the
inputand of one’s own mental processes. Consciousness is also closely
associated with intentionality, and for this reason it is often unclear
whether a claim that some aspect of language learning is unconscious
should be taken to mean that the learning takes place without intention,
without the learner’s paying attention, or without the learner’s being aware
of the result of learning or the fact that learning took place. There has also
been controversy for centuries concerning the role of consciousness in
scientific explanation. Many researchers accept introspectionas a valid
tool for assessing consciousness, if proper safeguards are observed. Others
subscribe to the theory of epiphenomenalismand argue that conscious
experience can be neither a valid explanation of behaviour nor a proper
connective