Constructive biology of emotion systems: First- and second-person methods for grounding adaptation in a biological and social world

Abstract

We consider the interpretation of emotions and similiar phenomena as support for survival and coping in the world. Grounded in the first-person experience of an emotional agent, certain such emotions, drives or experiences are self-oriented (homeostasis, intake, outflow: hunger, pain, irritation), while others suggest a generalized or specific recognition of other agents or objects (curiosity, fear; or hatred, envy, yearning, greed). Other, more complex emotions are involved in relations to a second person (sympathy) or social regulation (shame, guilt, feelings of loyalty) or affective episodic structure (hope, regret). Considering complex emotions in relation to other ‘persons’ yields insight into the roles and possible design of various emotional phenomena in behavioral regulation in biological, software, and social contexts. Affective coloring of episodic memories of sequences of actions and experiences may suggest a mechanism for the grounding of behavioral adaptation. We explore channels of meaning for agents in interaction games as these relate to emotions, the temporal dynamics of affect in relation to behavior, remembering, and learning; and we outline how affective coloring of episodic memories might provide a mechanism for emergent spatial and social navigation, as well as considering the role of the temporal horizon in behavior selection.