Introduction To Learning Process

Introduction:-The property that is of primary significance for a neural network is the ability of the network to learn from its environment and to improve its performance through learning. A neural network learns about its environment through an interactive process of adjustments applied to its synaptic weights and bias levels. The network becomes more knowledgeable about its environment after each iteration of the learning process.

There are too many activities associated with the notion of "learning" to justify defining it in a precise manner. Moreover, the process of learning is a matter of viewpoint which makes it all the more difficult to agree on a precise definition of the term.

We define learning in the context of neural networks as: Learning is a process by which the free parameters of a neural network are adapted through a process of stimulation by the environment in which the network is embedded. The type of learning is determined by the manner in which the parameter changes take place. This definition of the learning process implies the following sequence of events:

1. The neural network is stimulated by an environment.

2. The neural network undergoes changes in its free parameters as a result of this stimulation.

3. The neural network responds in a new way to the environment because of the changes that have occurred in its internal structure.

Learning basically has five rules: error-correction learning, memory-based learning, Hebbian learning, competitive learning, and Boltzmann learning. Error-correction learning is rooted in optimum filtering. Memory-based learning operates by memorizing the training data explicitly. Hebbian learning and competitive learning are both inspired by neurobiological considerations. Boltzmann learning is different because it is based on ideas borrowed from statistical mechanics.