Hybrid encoding: Constraints on addressing structure

Abstract

Cognitive models often make recourse to locality constraints as an important determinant of mental functioning. Such constraints are generally assumed to have their source at the hardware, or neuronal, level. However, the paper shows that certain cognitive limitations arise from the hybrid nature of cognitive architecture. In particular, the way symbols address constituent structure represented at the connectionist level limits their access to the encoded information. These limitations are expressed as the constructs of local and address domain and can be shown to provide an explanatory basis for a wide range of cognitive constraints.