On the Relation between cognition and behaviour

On the relation between cognition and behaviour:An embodied perspectiveStefano NolfiLaboratory of Autonomous Robotics and Artificial LifeInstitute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNRRoma, Italystefano.nolfi@istc.cnr.it

OutlineInvestigating the the relation between behavioral and and cognitiveprocesses through a synthetic self-organizing approacha. a. The The synthesis of of artificial agents can can be be employed as as a tool tool for fortheoretical research aiming at at modeling cognition and andintelligence in in natural organismsb. b. The The identification of of new new methods that that allow artificial agents to todevelop their skills autonomously might lead lead to to the thedevelopment of of a new new generation of of artifacts with with the therobustness, adaptability, and and sociability of of natural organisms

Active Perception & Sensory-Motor Coordination[Franceschini [Franceschiniet et al. al. 1991] 1991][Floreano [Floreanoet et al. al. 2002-2006] 2002-2006]

The roles of sensory-motor coordination in categorizationBehavioral categorization, i.e. i.e. skills in in which behavioral differentiationarises as as a result of of sequences of of interactions between the the agent, its itsbody, and and the the environment that that are are not not mediated by by a categoricalperceptual process. [Nolfi, [Nolfi, 2002] 2002]Active categorical perception, i.e. i.e. skills in in which the the way way in in which the theagent interacts with with its its environment ensures that that the the stimuli experiencedby by the the agents present the the regularities that that can can be be used to to perceptuallydifferentiate functionally different situations. [Pfeifer [Pfeifer& Scheier, Scheier, 1997; 1997; Lungarella Lungarella& Pfeifer, Pfeifer, 2001; 2001; Beer, Beer, 2003] 2003]Action-mediated categorization, i.e. i.e. skills in in which perceptualcategories are are based on on agent/environmental regularities that that are aregenerated through agent-environmental interactions [Nolfi, [Nolfi, 2005] 2005]The The exhibition of of selected behavioral skills might facilitate the thedevelopment of of categorization abilities to to be be acquired through learning[Metta [Mettaet et al., al., 1999; 1999; Metta Mettaand and Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick, 2003] 2003]

[Gigliotta & Nolfi, in press]On the coupling between agent/environmentaland agent’s internal dynamicsEnvironmentAgent’s bodyAgent’sControlSystem brain

[Gigliotta & Nolfi, in press]On the coupling between agent/environmentaland agent’s internal dynamics - 20.80.7TL0.6AL0.5I20.40.3TRACSB COD0.2TB0.100.7 0.8 0.9 1COI1

Toward the development of fully autonomousself-organzing agentsThere is is today a wide wide agreement on on the the fact fact that that behavioral, cognitive, and andsocial skills are are tightly interdependent phenomena that that arise from from the theinteractions of of a cascade of of more elementary elements and and processes.Developing new new methods (i.e. (i.e. new new models, algorithms, and and tools) that thatallow to to synthesize self-organizing agents --- ---agents that that are are able able to todevelop their their behavioral, cognitive, and and social skills autonomously whileinteracting with with the the physical and and social environment.Identifying a limited set set of of key key processes and and mechanisms that, that, by by beingable able to to synthesize properties emerging from from the the interaction betweensimpler elements and and processes, might lead lead to to the the synthesis of of artificialsystems with with a multi-level and and multi-scaled organization.