Qualitative state space abstraction

Abstract

In this chapter, we take a deeper look into the nature of abstraction. In particular, this chapter argues for the use of state space abstraction (Sect. 4.1) and presents a formal framework of abstraction and its different facets in Sect. 4.2. Based on this framework, a view on the interdependence of abstraction and representation follows in Sect. 4.3. Section 4.4 examines abstraction in agent control processes before applying them to reinforcement learning (Sect. 4.5).