What do Constructive Learners Really Learn?

  • Authors:
  • Chris Thornton

  • Affiliations:
  • Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QH, U.K. (E-mail: Chris.Thornton@cogs.susx.ac.uk)

  • Venue:
  • Artificial Intelligence Review
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

In constructive induction (CI), the learner‘s problemrepresentation is modified as a normal part of the learningprocess. This may be necessary if the initial representation isinadequate or inappropriate. However, the distinction betweenconstructive and non-constructive methods appears to be highlyambiguous. Several conventional definitions of the process ofconstructive induction appear to include all conceivable learningprocesses. In this paper I argue that the process of constructivelearning should be identified with that of relational learning(i.e., I suggest that what constructive learners really learn isrelationships) and I describe some of the possible benefitsthat might be obtained as a result of adopting this definition.