The diagram below represents an associative memory as described in the text. What stable state will the system reach if it is initiated with the top and bottom neurons excited and the others inhibited?
A) All neurons excited
B) Only the side neurons excited
C) No neurons excited
D) Only the top and bottom neurons excited

Question

The diagram below represents an associative memory as described in the text. What stable state will the system reach if it is initiated with the top and bottom neurons excited and the others inhibited? 
A) All neurons excited 
B) Only the side neurons excited 
C) No neurons excited 
D) Only the top and bottom neurons excited

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The associative memory described in the text is a Hopfield network which uses a recurrent connection pattern to store and retrieve patterns. In this specific diagram, the four neurons are connected to each other in a circular pattern. When a neuron is excited, it sends a signal to all neurons it is connected to, which can lead to other neurons becoming excited as well. The stable state the system will reach depends on the initial pattern and the connection strengths between neurons.

If the top and bottom neurons are excited and the others inhibited, the system will eventually converge to the pattern where only the top and bottom neurons are excited. This can be seen by tracing the flow of activation through the connections. When the top neuron is excited, it sends a signal to both side neurons, but since these neurons have inhibitory connections to each other, they will inhibit each other and remain inactive. The top neuron also sends a signal to the bottom neuron, which in turn sends a signal back to the top neuron. This feedback loop will maintain the activation of the top and bottom neurons, while keeping the side neurons inactive. Therefore, the answer is D, only the top and bottom neurons will be excited.

The Diagram Below Represents an Associative Memory as Described in the Text