Memory-based Pattern Completion in Database Semantics

Pattern recognition in cognitive agents is based on (i) the uninterpreted input data (e.g. parameter values) provided by the agent's hardware devices and (ii) and interpreted patterns (e.g. templates) provided by the agent's memory. Computationally, the task consists in finding the memory data corresponding best to the input data, for any given input. Once the best fitting memory data have been found, the input is recognized by applying to it the interpretation which happens to be stored with the memorized pattern. This paper presents a fast converging procedure which starts from a few initially recognized items and then analyzes the remainder of the input by systematically checking for items shown by memory to have been related to the initial items in previous encounters. In this way, known patterns are tried first, and only when they have been exhausted, an elementary exploration of the input is commenced. Efficiency is improved further by choosing the candidate to be tested next according to frequency.