A lesson from robotics: Modeling infants as autonomous agents

Authored by M Schlesinger

Date Published: 2003

DOI: 10.1177/10597123030112003

Sponsors: United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Although computational models are playing an increasingly important role in developmental psychology, at least one lesson from robotics is still being learned: Modeling epigenetic processes often requires simulating an embodied, autonomous organism. This article first contrasts prevailing models of infant cognition with an agent-based approach. A series of infant studies by Baillargeon (1986; Baillargeon & DeVos, 1991) is described, and an eye-movement model is then used to simulate infants' visual activity in this study. I conclude by describing three behavioral predictions of the eye-movement model and discussing the implications of this work for infant cognition research.

Tags

Agent-based model infant cognition object permanence