Evolution of Plastic Sensory-motor Coupling and Dynamic Categorization

Abstract

We study the dynamic categorization ability of an autonomous agent that distinguishes rectangular and triangular objects. The objects are distributed on a two-dimensional space and the agent is equipped with a recurrent neural network that controls its navigation dynamics. As the agent moves through the environment, it develops neural states which, while not symbolic representations of rectangles or triangles, allow it to distinguish these objects. As a result, it decides to avoid triangles and remain for longer periods of time at rectangles. A significant characteristic of the network is its plasticity, which enables the agent to switch from one navigation mode to another. Diversity of this switching behavior will be discussed.