Learning to use episodic memory

This paper brings together work in modeling episodic memory and reinforcement learning. We demonstrate that is possible to learn to use episodic memory retrievals while simultaneously learning to act in an external environment. In a series of three experiments we investigate learning what to retrieve from episodic memory and when to retrieve it, learning how to use temporal episodic memory retrievals, and learning how to build cues that are the conjunctions of multiple features. Our empirical results demonstrate that it is computationally feasible to learn to use episodic memory in all three experiments, and furthermore, that learning to use internal episodic memory accomplishes tasks that reinforcement learning alone does not. These experiments also expose some important interactions that arise between reinforcement learning and episodic memory.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: COGSR
• Authors: Nicholas A. Gorski, John E. Laird
• Keywords: COGSR 2011, Episodic Memory, Episodic Memory Retrievals, Temporal Episodic Memory