Action and behavior: a free-energy formulation

We have previously tried to explain perceptual inference and learning under a free-energy principle that pursues Helmholtz's agenda to understand the brain in terms of energy minimization. It is fairly easy to show that making inferences about the causes of sensory data can be cast as the minimization of a free-energy bound on the likelihood of sensory inputs, given an internal model of how they were caused. In this article, we consider what would happen if the data themselves were sampled to minimize this bound. It transpires that the ensuing active sampling or inference is mandated by ergodic arguments based on the very existence of adaptive agents. Furthermore, it accounts for many aspects of motor behavior; from retinal stabilization to goal-seeking. In particular, it suggests that motor control can be understood as fulfilling prior expectations about proprioceptive The free-energy principle is an attempt to explain the structure and function of the brain, starting from the fa...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: BC
• Authors: Karl J. Friston, Jean Daunizeau, James Kilner, Stefan Kiebel
• Keywords: BC 2010, Free-energy Bound, Free-energy Principle, Sensory Inputs, Software Engineering