Machine Psychology: Autonomous Behavior, Perceptual Categorization and Conditioning in a Brain-based Device

• DOI: 10.1093/cercor/12.8.818
• Publication Date: 2002-07-28T22:37:50Z
• Authors: J. L. Krichmar
• Keywords: Affordance; Neuroanatomy

In studying brain activity during the behavior of living animals, it is not possible simultaneously to analyze all levels control from molecular events motor responses. To provide insights into how interact, we have carried out synthetic neural modeling using a brain-based real-world device. We describe here design and performance such device, designated Darwin VII, which guided by computer-simulated analogues cortical subcortical structures. All VII's architecture can be examined as device behaves in real environment. Analysis its perceptual categorization conditioned suggests mechanisms for invariant object recognition, experience-dependent categorization, first-order second-order conditioning, effects different learning rates on responses appetitive aversive events. While individual VII exemplars developed similar categorical that depended exploration environment sensorimotor adaptation, each showed highly patterns changes synaptic strengths. By allowing exhaustive analysis manipulation neuroanatomy large-scale dynamics, devices valuable heuristics understanding interactions. These also groundwork development intelligent machines follow neurobiological rather than computational principles their construction.