Neural Network Models in Psychology and Psychopathology

Abstract

From the very inception of the concept of the neuron over a period of almost one hundred years (cf. Breidbach, 1993; Dierig, 1993; Finger, 1994), networks of neurons have been used to capture aspects of higher cognitive functions. Sigmund Freud (1895/1950) and Sigmund Exner (1894) conceived of the flow of energy through networks of neurons in order to explain psychology and psychopathology (see Figs. 1 and 2). Five decades later, McCullough and Pitts (1943/1989) were the first to posit the neuron as an information processing device, and again, suggested psychopathological applications (cf. Spitzer, 1997a) In the 1980s, neural network research gradually invaded almost every field of psychology (cf. Rumelhart & McClelland, 1986), and since the appearance of the landmark paper by Ralph Hoffman in 1987, an increasing number of network models of psychopathology have been proposed. In this paper, applications of neural networks for the understanding of psychology and psychopathology will be discussed. It is argued that the work by psychologists and psychiatrists is not merely a late “add on” to neural network research but rather an integral part of their lines of inquiry. Several examples will be discussed which should demonstrate that neurocomputational models represent the dearly needed bridge between the mind and brain aspect of human nature.