Cognitive Chunks, Neural Engrams and Natural Concepts: Bridging the Gap between Connectionism and Symbolism

Chunking theory is among the most established theories in cognitive psychology. However, little work has been done to connect the key ideas of chunks and chunking to the neural substrate. The current study addresses this issue by investigating the convergence of a cognitive CHREST model (the computational embodiment of chunking theory) and its neuroscience-based counterpart (based on deep learning). Both models were trained from raw data to categorise novel stimuli in the real-life domains of literature and music. Despite having vastly different mechanisms and structures, both models largely converged in their predictions of classical writers and composers – in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Moreover, the use of the same chunk/engram activation mechanism for CHREST and deep learning models demonstrated functional equivalence between cognitive chunks and neural engrams. The study addresses a historical feud between symbolic/serial and subsymbolic/parallel processing approaches to modelling cognition. The findings also further bridge the gap between cognition and its neural substrate, connect the mechanisms proposed by chunking theory to the neural network modelling approach, and make further inroads towards integrating concept formation theories into a Unified Theory of Cognition (Newell, 1990).