Motivated cognition: Neural and computational mechanisms of curiosity, attention and intrinsic motivation

Jacqueline Gottlieb (1) , Manuel Lopes (2) , Pierre-Yves Oudeyer (2)

1 Columbia University [New York]
2 Flowers - Flowing Epigenetic Robots and Systems

Based on a synthesis of findings from psychology, neuroscience, and machine learning, we propose a unified theory of curiosity as a form of motivated cognition. Curiosity, we propose, is comprised of a family of mechanisms that range in complexity from simple heuristics based on novelty, salience, or surprise, to drives based on reward and uncertainty reduction and finally, to self-directed metacognitive processes. These mechanisms, we propose, have evolved to allow agents to discover useful regularities in the world ! steering them toward niches of maximal learning progress and away from both random and highly familiar tasks. We emphasize that curiosity arises organically in conjunction with cogni- tion and motivation, being generated by cognitive processes and in turn, motivating them. We hope that this view will spur the systematic study of curiosity as an integral aspect of cognition and decision making during development and adulthood.

Mots clés: Intrinsic motivation; active learning; exploration; memory; attention; metacognition; learning progress; development; machine learning; artificial intelligence

Domaines: Sciences cognitives; Neurosciences; Intelligence artificielle [cs.AI]

Jacqueline Gottlieb, Manuel Lopes, Pierre-Yves Oudeyer. Motivated cognition: Neural and computational mechanisms of curiosity, attention and intrinsic motivation. Sung-il Kim; Johnmarshall Reeve; Mimi Bong. Recent Developments in Neuroscience Research on Human Motivation, 19, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2016, Advances in Motivation and Achievement, ⟨10.1108/S0749-742320160000019017⟩. ⟨hal-01404468⟩