12.5.2 Iterating over Cycles: SettleProcess

The SettleProcess is a base type of process that is used to iterate over cycles of activation updating. Thus, it typically has a CycleProcess as its sub-process. In algorithms with recurrent connectivity, it is typically necessary to iteratively update the activation states of the units for some number of cycles. This process controls this settling procedure. Particular algorithms will derive their own version of the settle process.

The cycle counter records the number of cycles of updating that have been performed. Setting the max for this counter will limit settling to this number of cycles. In addition, some algorithms use a loop_stat that measures the change in activation. When this stat goes below its criterion threshold, the settle process will stop. Thus, the stat determines when the settling has reached an equilibrium state.