This paper presents a methodology for integrating connectionist and symbolic approaches to 2D image recognition. The proposed integration paradigm exploits the synergy of the two approaches for both the training and the recognition phases of an image recognition system. In the training phase, a symbolic module provides an approximate solution to a given image-recognition problem in terms of symbolic models. Such models are hierarchically organized into different abstraction levels, and include contextual descriptions. After mapping such models into a complex neural architecture, a neural training process is carried out to optimize the solution of the recognition problem. The so-obtained neural networks are used during the recognition phase for pattern classification. In this phase, the role of symbolic modules consists of managing complex aspects of information processing: abstraction levels, contextual information, and global recognition hypotheses. A hybrid system implementing the proposed integration paradigm is presented, and its advantages over single approaches are assessed. Results on Magnetic Resonance image recognition are reported, and comparisons with some well-known classifiers are made.
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