A brief review of connectionist models in contrast with modelling cognition

The understanding of brain mechanisms is a fundamental topic to unravel the etiology of various disorders, ranging from sleep disturbances to language acquisition, providing evidence-based knowledge for more assertive treatments. Existing contrast between conventional and recent approaches to describe brain mechanisms became evident within the last decades. The importance of developing complex computer technology for the use with artificial neural network systems, makes advanced computational models (connectionist models) that simulate brain activities a particularly useful strategy in neuroscientific investigations. This paper covers a brief overview on the development and functioning of connectionist models, and contrasts this perspective with more traditional approaches to modelling cognition.