16. An adaptive computer system as set forth in claim 15 wherein said selected result messages are messages which are specified by the condition parts of other classifiers.
15. An adaptive computer system for processing input data from an external source to yield output data having predetermined characteristics, said system comprising, in combination: a message memory for storing messages, each of said messages comprising a unit of information represented as a sequence of binary digits; a classifier memory for storing a plurality of classifiers each consisting of a condition part for specifying the attributes of one or more selected classes of messages stored in said message memory, an action part for specifying the manner in which the messages in said selected classes are to be translated into output messages, and a strength value indicative of the past utility of said classifier; input means for converting said input data from said external source into one or more messages and for storing said messages in said message memory; processing means for performing a plurality of independent procedures each in accordance with a respective one of said plurality of classifiers to generate a collection of result messages, and reward means responsive to selected result messages for increasing the strength value associated with those classifiers which produced said selected result messages.