Vocabulary Networks: Program-14
This simulation set illustrates how a vocabulary network
responds to randomly occurring events when each event
raises the activation threshold of a single word.
The program builds a 1000 word network and lets it
settle into a stable attactor state. The program then
implements nEv attrition events distrinuted over
mEv updates.
THINGS TO DO.
Find a network with a high level of activation.
Set nEv to 20, and set mEv to 1500.
How does the network respond to these parameter values?
How is the attrition curve affected when you vary the
value of the mEv parameter?
How do the nEv and mEv parameters interact?
Would you get the same results with a smaller network?
QUESTIONS TO ASK.
how big a ripple does an event typically make?
How long do these ripples typically last for?
Are all networks equally susceptible to events?
What happens when you vary the value of parameter rEv?
 
What implications does this set of behaviours have
for theories of L2 vocabulary acquisition?