A vector of values presented at one time to all the input units of a neural network is called a "case", "example", "pattern, "sample", etc. The term "case" will be used in this FAQ because it is widely recognized, unambiguous, and requires less typing than the other terms. A case may include not only input values, but also target values and possibly other information.
A vector of values presented at different times to a single input unit is often called an "input variable" or "feature". To a statistician, it is a "predictor", "regressor", "covariate", "independent variable", "explanatory variable", etc. A vector of target values associated with a given output unit of the network during training will be called a "target variable" in this FAQ. To a statistician, it is usually a "response" or "dependent variable".
