Music Preference 1 - Brent Hugh's personal and business web pages

Music Preference 21
less. It simply means that, in a mature neural network, the learning takes a different form--and
not necessarily an inferior one.
The difference can be explained (in somewhat simplified form) by asking this question:
When the neural network encounters a novel piece of information, how do the synaptic weights
change? In a young network, in which synaptic weights are allowed to vary by large amounts,
accommodating a new piece of information will likely produce large effect on a few synaptic
weights. In a mature network, in which synaptic weights may only change by small amounts,
accommodating this new piece of information will produce a small effect on many synaptic
weights. In the mature network, the new information does not determine the network's total sum
of knowledge about that subject (as it would in a new, previously unprogrammed neural
network), rather it is layered upon and seen in the context of the firm base of existing knowledge;
the new knowledge adds depth, detail, and perspective.
How might this play out in terms of musical knowledge in humans? Consider a hypothetical
situation in which two people, one unknowledgeable about classical music and with weakly held
attitudes about it, and the another very knowledgeable and with firmly held opinions, both read
the following statements made by pianist Glenn Gould:
Beethoven was a composer "whose reputation is based entirely on gossip." He was "the
supreme historical example of a composer on an ego trip." (Glenn Gould, quoted in
Schonberg, 1987, p. 478)
The unknowledgeable person, his opinions easily swayed by this authoritative statement
from a famous performer whose photo is prominently featured in the book in which he reads
these comments, concludes that Beethoven's reputation really is far overrated and, probably, due