Attractors
"The action of a recurrent network in converging upon the final output involves a sequence through a series of states. It is the operation of the network state stepping sequentially toward the final result that is described by the term attractor. This developing sequence is most clearly seen when shown as a phase diagram. The diagrams here almost make the right point, but, in my opinion, do not adequately present the idea of the phase space. This issue would all be inconsequential were it not for the confusion which arises in thinking of any pattern recognizer as an attractor. I find an unfortunate tendency in some other places for the term to be devalued by its use in this latter sense. "
- Lloyd Rice (emphasis mine)