Models of competitive learning: complex dynamics, intermittent conversions and oscillatory coarsening

TL;DR

This paper introduces two models of competitive learning that exhibit complex dynamics, including oscillatory coarsening, driven by local environmental influences, revealing new critical behaviors at coexistence.

Contribution

The paper develops interfacial and cooperative learning models demonstrating novel oscillatory coarsening and critical phenomena in competitive learning systems.

Findings

Identification of oscillatory coarsening behavior

Discovery of new critical phenomena at coexistence

Models show outcome-dependent local environmental influence

Abstract

We present two models of competitive learning, which are respectively interfacial and cooperative learning. This learning is outcome-related, so that spatially and temporally local environments influence the conversion of a given site between one of two different types. We focus here on the behavior of the models at coexistence, which yields new critical behavior and the existence of a phase involving a novel type of coarsening which is oscillatory in nature.