M. Craven & J. Shavlik (1992).
Visualizing Learning and Computation in Artificial Neural Networks. International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools, 1, pp. 399-425.

This publication is available in PDF and available in postscript.

Abstract:

Scientific visualization is the process of using graphical images to form succinct and lucid representations of numerical data. Visualization has proven to be a useful method for understanding both learning and computation in artificial neural networks. While providing a powerful and general technique for inductive learning, artificial neural networks are difficult to comprehend because they form representations that are encoded by a large number of real-valued parameters. By viewing these parameters pictorially, a better understanding can be gained of how a network maps inputs into outputs. In this article, we survey a number of visualization techniques for understanding the learning and decision-making processes of neural networks. We also describe our work in \em knowledge-based neural networks and the visualization techniques we have used to understand these networks. In a knowledge-based neural network, the topology and initial weight values of the network are determined by an approximately-correct set of inference rules. Knowledge-based networks are easier to interpret than conventional networks because of the synergy between visualization methods and the relation of the networks to symbolic rules.

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