Autoassociative memory

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Autoassociative memory, also known as auto-association memory or an autoassociation network, is a form of backpropagation or other neural networks that enables one to retrieve entire memories from only a tiny sample of itself. To draw a picture, the fragments presented below should be all that's necessary to retrieve the appropriate memory:

  1. "A day that will live in ______"
  2. "To be or not to be"
  3. "I came, I saw, I conquered"

The first example will make the reader fill in the blank with the word "infamy", while making him or her think of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The second example is only a tiny phrase from William Shakespeare's Hamlet, yet readers will be able to associate it with the play. And finally, most people will be quick to translate Caesar's quote over to "Veni, Vidi, Vici". The conclusion to be drawn is that Autoassociation networks can recreate the whole from merely its small parts.

Another example of Autoassociation Neural Networks can be found here: http://www.heatonresearch.com/articles/2/page4.html