Minsky uses a difference engine formulation to describe how different types of learning are activated by different contexts (e.g., being scolded by a stranger vs. being scolded by a parent). With ordinary failure contexts, the learner changes methods used to accomplish the goal. With fear contexts, the learner might change the description of the situation. With attachment-learning -- parental provided context! -- the learner modifies their notion of which goals are worthy of pursuit. (NB: All of this strikes me as a very non-connectionist approach to learning, because it is strategic -- the context determines what is to be changed!)
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