Structure from rank: Rank-order coding as a bridge from sequence to structure

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Chen, Xiaodan, Pitti, Alexandre, Quoy, Mathias, Chen, Nancy
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Chen, Xiaodan
Pitti, Alexandre
Quoy, Mathias
Chen, Nancy
author_facet Chen, Xiaodan
Pitti, Alexandre
Quoy, Mathias
Chen, Nancy
contents Understanding how structured sequence information can be represented and generalized in neural systems is key to modeling the transition from acoustic input to emergent structure. In this study, we propose a rank-order based neural network inspired by the STG-LIFG-PMC pathway, modeling the bottom-up transition from acoustic input to abstract rank representation and the top-down generation from that representation to motor execution. Building on previous work in rank coding, we first demonstrate that this model efficiently compresses input while retaining the capacity to reconstruct full utterances from partial cues, revealing emergent structure-sensitive generation process that reflects context-general representations of sensorimotor states, which are later shaped into context-specific motor plans during speech planning. We then show that the network exhibits global-level novelty detection similar to the P3B novelty wave, replicating the global-sequence-sensitive mechanism. As a supplement, we also compare the model's behavior under local (index-level) and global (rank-level) perturbations, revealing robustness to superficial variation and sensitivity to abstract structural violation, key features associated with hierarchical generalization. These results suggest that rank-order coding not only serves as a compact encoding scheme but also captures hierarchical structure in acoustic sequences.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_08380
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Structure from rank: Rank-order coding as a bridge from sequence to structure
Chen, Xiaodan
Pitti, Alexandre
Quoy, Mathias
Chen, Nancy
Neural and Evolutionary Computing
Understanding how structured sequence information can be represented and generalized in neural systems is key to modeling the transition from acoustic input to emergent structure. In this study, we propose a rank-order based neural network inspired by the STG-LIFG-PMC pathway, modeling the bottom-up transition from acoustic input to abstract rank representation and the top-down generation from that representation to motor execution. Building on previous work in rank coding, we first demonstrate that this model efficiently compresses input while retaining the capacity to reconstruct full utterances from partial cues, revealing emergent structure-sensitive generation process that reflects context-general representations of sensorimotor states, which are later shaped into context-specific motor plans during speech planning. We then show that the network exhibits global-level novelty detection similar to the P3B novelty wave, replicating the global-sequence-sensitive mechanism. As a supplement, we also compare the model's behavior under local (index-level) and global (rank-level) perturbations, revealing robustness to superficial variation and sensitivity to abstract structural violation, key features associated with hierarchical generalization. These results suggest that rank-order coding not only serves as a compact encoding scheme but also captures hierarchical structure in acoustic sequences.
title Structure from rank: Rank-order coding as a bridge from sequence to structure
topic Neural and Evolutionary Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.08380