The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval

Abstract The Entropic Associative Memory is an auto-associative memory in which objects are represented and stored as discrete functions or “traces” in a table, so the memory content is a 2D relation or “memory plane”. Memory traces are “overlapped” on the medium, the memory is indeterminate, and th...

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Main Authors: Rafael Morales, Luis A. Pineda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07963-x
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author Rafael Morales
Luis A. Pineda
author_facet Rafael Morales
Luis A. Pineda
author_sort Rafael Morales
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Entropic Associative Memory is an auto-associative memory in which objects are represented and stored as discrete functions or “traces” in a table, so the memory content is a 2D relation or “memory plane”. Memory traces are “overlapped” on the medium, the memory is indeterminate, and the system is entropic. The memory retrieval operation produces an object out of a cue and the indeterminate memory mass, and the memory is constructive. In this paper, we present its extension to the hetero-associative case. Pairs of hetero-associated objects, possibly of different domain and/or modalities, are held in a 4D relation. The cue to a memory retrieval operation selects a largely indeterminate 2D hetero-associated memory plane, but there is no cue left to recover the object from such plane. We propose three incremental methods to address such missing cue problem, which we call random, sample and test, and search and test. The model is assessed with composite recollections consisting of manuscript digits and letters selected from the MNIST and EMNIST corpora, respectively, such that cue digits retrieve their associated letters and vice versa. We show the memory performance and illustrate the memory retrieval operation using all three methods. The system shows promise for storing, recognizing, and retrieving very large sets of objects with very limited computing resources. We also discuss the implications of the model for the psychology and the neuroscience of memory.
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spelling doaj-art-193af0d8e27146b38bdb18e49339ba5f2025-08-20T03:37:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-07963-xThe missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrievalRafael Morales0Luis A. Pineda1Universidad de Guadalajara, SUVUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, IIMASAbstract The Entropic Associative Memory is an auto-associative memory in which objects are represented and stored as discrete functions or “traces” in a table, so the memory content is a 2D relation or “memory plane”. Memory traces are “overlapped” on the medium, the memory is indeterminate, and the system is entropic. The memory retrieval operation produces an object out of a cue and the indeterminate memory mass, and the memory is constructive. In this paper, we present its extension to the hetero-associative case. Pairs of hetero-associated objects, possibly of different domain and/or modalities, are held in a 4D relation. The cue to a memory retrieval operation selects a largely indeterminate 2D hetero-associated memory plane, but there is no cue left to recover the object from such plane. We propose three incremental methods to address such missing cue problem, which we call random, sample and test, and search and test. The model is assessed with composite recollections consisting of manuscript digits and letters selected from the MNIST and EMNIST corpora, respectively, such that cue digits retrieve their associated letters and vice versa. We show the memory performance and illustrate the memory retrieval operation using all three methods. The system shows promise for storing, recognizing, and retrieving very large sets of objects with very limited computing resources. We also discuss the implications of the model for the psychology and the neuroscience of memory.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07963-xHetero-associativity memoryDeclarative memoryIndeterminacy of memoryMemory and Hebb’s learning rule
spellingShingle Rafael Morales
Luis A. Pineda
The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
Scientific Reports
Hetero-associativity memory
Declarative memory
Indeterminacy of memory
Memory and Hebb’s learning rule
title The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
title_full The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
title_fullStr The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
title_full_unstemmed The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
title_short The missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
title_sort missing cue problem in hetero associative memory retrieval
topic Hetero-associativity memory
Declarative memory
Indeterminacy of memory
Memory and Hebb’s learning rule
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07963-x
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