Behaviorally coupled emergent representation

Traditionally, representation has been perceived as a necessity for producing intelligent behavior. Once the right representation is in place to drive it, behavior unfolds as the system’s dynamics interact with what is usually a fixed, structural entity. For many kinds of systems this approach can be successful. However, as a prescription for building increasingly complex adaptive systems, it often fails. An alternative perspective that is under investigation in our Starcat project suggests that representation is not what drives behavior but rather what is left over by the system’s dynamics after concepts have been activated and behavior has emerged. There are numerous examples of patterns emerging from underlying dynamics. In an ant colony, for example, stigmergic behavior arises from the colony’s dynamics; but when viewed from outside the system, the pattern reveals the coupling between colony behavior and the environment. We could, from that perspective, consider the pheromo...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: GECCO
• Authors: Joseph Lewis, Jamie Lawson
• Keywords: Behavior, Behavior Unfolds, GECCO 2005, System’s Dynamics