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The Dynamics of IAC Networks

• Decay: the tendency for a unit to return to the rest value.
• Boundaries: the tendency for a unit to remain between the max and min values
• Equilibrium: the point to which a network will settle.
• Competition: the tendency for units connected by negative weights to turn each other off. A unit that begins with a small advantage eventually "wins" the competition and becomes active at the expense of the other units in the pool
• Resonance: the tendency for units connected by positive weights to make each other active and keep each other active in the face of external competition
• Blocking and Hysteresis: the ability of one active unit to stop a unit to which it is connected with a negative weight from becoming active
• Oscillation: the ability of some networks turn on and off on consecutive timesteps and never settle to a stable point