PURPOSE: To provide a compact learning system which can learn many different self-organization patterns at a high processing speed.

CONSTITUTION: A learning system consists of the storage light valves 7A, 7B and 7C which store the input optical patterns xij (t) and modulate the beams supplied independently based on these optical patterns, the input light valves 5A, 5B and 5C which inputs the patterns xij (t) to the valves 7A-7C, and the correlation output write valves 9A, 9B and 9C which store the correlative degrees between the optical patterns supplied to both storage and input light patterns. Then the correlative degrees and read out of the correlation output light valves respectively and then supplied to the input light valves. Thus the input patterns are weighted and stored on the patterns stored in the valves 7A-7C respectively. Then the self-organization patterns are learnt.