A discussion of several types of formal neurons, many of whose functions are modifiable by their own input stimuli. The language of finite automata is used to mathematicize the problem of adaptation sufficiently to remove some ambiguities of Brindley's approach. (Author)

A basic unsolved problem in science is that of understanding learning, the process by which people and machines use their experience in a situation to guide future action in similar situations. The ideas of Piaget, Pavlov, Hull, and other learning theorists, as well as previous heuristic programing models of human intelligence, stimulated this…