Theoretical Antecedents

Abstract

This chapter describes some conceptual antecedents to the node structure theory of perception and action that I develop in the remainder of the book. Conceptual antecedents to my theory stretch back to Plato, but I mention only a sample of these antecedents here, and this chapter can be viewed as a summary of my personal sources of inspiration rather than as an authoritative historical review (see also Rumelhart, McClelland, & the PDP Research Group, 1986). I begin with two general philosophical traditions that have had longstanding and profound effects on virtually all psychological and physiological thought. I then illustrate how these traditions have influenced three current theories of the relation between perception and action in general and speech perception and production in particular. I next outline a theoretical alternative to these philosophical traditions that Lashley (1951) pointed out and that constitutes a major theme of the present book. Finally, I spell out some more recent and detailed conceptual antecedents to the theory that I go on to develop in the remainder of the book.

Perception cannot work by extracting production invariants if production works by using perceptual invariants. If there are perceptual invariants for use in production, then they should be used in perception…. This buck passing between production and perception has only been possible because few theorists have attempted to solve the problems of both areas within the same general theory.

(Howell & Harvey, 1983, p. 203)