
Paul Smolensky (1986) has noted that the optimal state of such a net-
work, that is, the state where the most constraints are satisfied, can be
found by maximizing the sum of the products of pairs of node states (0
and 1, or −1 and +1) times the value of the strength of the connection
between them:
Hawa
iijj
ji
=
∑∑
where a
i
is the activation of node i, w
ij
is the strength of the connection
between nodes i and j, and a
j
is the activation of node j. The products of
pairs of nodes times the weights of the connections between them
should be as big as possible. The “harmony function” (Smolensky’s cog-
nitive theory was called “harmony theory”) can be calculated