Play and Exploration in Animals — A Comparative Analysis

Pisula, Wojciech

doi:10.2478/v10059-008-0009-4

Cited by 13 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…We now, however, return to the question of the ultimate cause of exploration, which must lie in improved survival or reproductive fitness. The evolutionary advantage of learning-driven exploration is thought to lie in the general usefulness of possessing an accurate internal model of the world (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1983; Renner, 1988, 1990; Pisula, 2003, 2008). Unlike many models of reward-driven exploration, which focus on learning to optimize reward acquisition in a single context, an accurate internal model derived from learning-driven exploration may hold general utility applicable across a wide range of contexts.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops

Little¹,

Sommer²

2013

Front. Neural Circuits

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Discovering the structure underlying observed data is a recurring problem in machine learning with important applications in neuroscience. It is also a primary function of the brain. When data can be actively collected in the context of a closed action-perception loop, behavior becomes a critical determinant of learning efficiency. Psychologists studying exploration and curiosity in humans and animals have long argued that learning itself is a primary motivator of behavior. However, the theoretical basis of learning-driven behavior is not well understood. Previous computational studies of behavior have largely focused on the control problem of maximizing acquisition of rewards and have treated learning the structure of data as a secondary objective. Here, we study exploration in the absence of external reward feedback. Instead, we take the quality of an agent's learned internal model to be the primary objective. In a simple probabilistic framework, we derive a Bayesian estimate for the amount of information about the environment an agent can expect to receive by taking an action, a measure we term the predicted information gain (PIG). We develop exploration strategies that approximately maximize PIG. One strategy based on value-iteration consistently learns faster than previously developed reward-free exploration strategies across a diverse range of environments. Psychologists believe the evolutionary advantage of learning-driven exploration lies in the generalized utility of an accurate internal model. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that agents which learn more efficiently during exploration are later better able to accomplish a range of goal-directed tasks. We will conclude by discussing how our work elucidates the explorative behaviors of animals and humans, its relationship to other computational models of behavior, and its potential application to experimental design, such as in closed-loop neurophysiology studies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops

Little¹,

Sommer²

2013

Front. Neural Circuits

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“…Não é clara a distinção entre explorar um objeto e brincar com ele. Pisula (2008) (Wise, 2004), como prevê o condicionamento de Skinner (1953). Os componentes do sistema relacionados ao "querer" e "gostar" são também mediados por opióides endógenos (Peciña, S., 2008) (Panksepp, 1998;Panksepp, 2002;Panksepp & Harro, 2004) estão relacionadas a um funcionamento inadequado do Sistema de Recompensa.…”

Section: Exploraçãounclassified

“…Trata-se de um comportamento de fácil identificação e de difícil definição (Beckoff & Byers, 1998), que contém traços de comportamentos de adultos (comportamentos agressivos, por exemplo), sem consequências imediatas, que pode ocorrer de maneira exagerada, repetitiva e estereotipada, segundo Walters (1987). A brincadeira tem a característica de não ter um ato consumatório (Rasa, 1984), irregular, com variedade de movimentos e que podem ser interrompidos ou estimulados por diferentes estímulos (Pisula, 2008).…”

Section: Brincadeira Socialunclassified

“…Por fim, a brincadeira locomotora acontece quando o animal pula ou corre sozinho, fazendo movimentos repetitivos, podendo ser exagerados. Brincar é característico da juventude e é observado com muito menor frequência em adultos (Fagen, 1981;Pellis e Pellis, 2007;Pisula, 2008). Como os humanos, outros primatas têm um período de imaturidade estendido, o que é crucial para que aprendam a viver em sociedades complexas e desenvolver habilidades que poderão permitir maior sucesso reprodutivo, e nesse sentido, brincadeiras e outras atividades sociais na juventude podem ser veículos de aprendizagem de habilidades (Fagen, 1981;Smith, 1983;Martin & Caro, 1985;Pereira e Altmann, 1985;Caro, 1988;Bekoff & Byers, 1992;Fairbanks, 1993;Biben, 1998;Fragaszy et al, 2004b;) úteis para a vida adulta.…”

Section: Brincadeira Socialunclassified

“…A juventude é um período crítico para aprendizagem e desenvolvimento de habilidades que serão usadas no futuro (Fagen, 1981, Fragaszy et al, 2004b, como habilidades sociais e manipulativas para forrageamento (Joffe, 1997). Por isso é um período em que há grande dedicação a atividades exploratórias e brincadeiras (Pisula, 2008).…”

Section: Introdução E Objetivosunclassified

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Estudo da motivação para manipulação e para brincadeira social em macacos-prego (Sapajus SP.)

Carvalho¹

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de Resende, Bri, com grande respeito, carinho e admiração, pela fundamental orientação para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho, por suas sugestões, compreensão e pela confiança em mim depositada; À Profa. Patrícia Izar, Pat, com grande respeito e admiração; À Michele Verderane, Mi, com grande respeito e admiração. Com amor, ao Carlos Roberto, meu pai; à Águeda, minha mãe, em memória; à minha avó paterna, Guiomar e à Lenita, que são minhas outras mães; Aos meus avós maternos, Armando e Nelly, em memória; ao meu avô paterno, Hélcio, em memória; ao João Luiz, meu irmão. Aos meus tios e tias, primos e primas, que no total são mais de 90 pessoas. Ao Deivid Ayala, por todo apoio, compreensão e confiança. À Mara Ceroni, pelo grande apoio psicológico nestes últimos anos.

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Is it for real? Structural differences between play and real fighting in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Cordoni,

Ciarcelluti,

Pasqualotto

et al. 2023

American J Primatol

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In primates, as well as in other mammals, play fighting (PF) is a complex form of playful activity that is structurally similar to real fighting (RF) and may also be used in a competitive way. Here, we verify the structural key differences that can distinguish PF from RF in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We collected 962 h of video recording on 30 adult individuals belonging to four chimpanzee groups (Mona Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Spain; La Vallée des Singes and ZooParc de Beauval, France). We applied different indices—two of which were borrowed from the ecological measures of biodiversity—to test for structural differences between PF (345 sessions) and RF (461 sessions) in the levels of behavior repetition (Repeatability of Same Behavior Index, RSBI), distribution uniformity (Pielou Index, J), variability (Shannon Index, H′) and, symmetry (i.e., reciprocal exchange of offensive/defensive behaviors; Asymmetry Index, AI). Moreover, we compared the session duration between PF and RF. We found that duration and RSBI were higher in PF than RF while AI was higher in RF than PF. No difference was found between J and H′. Interestingly, both females and males maintained similar ranking positions (determined via Normalized David's scores) in RF and PF. Our study indicates that session duration, behavior repetition, and symmetry can be distinctive structural key features of PF whereas dominance role‐reversal, behavior variability, and distribution uniformity were not. PF in adult chimpanzees may have elements of serious contexts (e.g., absence of role‐reversal as in RF) which is in line with the view that play is a blended, multifunctional behavior deriving from the re‐combination of different behavioral systems. Our findings highlight the need to investigate play structure and manifestation in a nuanced way to better understand the actual motivation that underlies what appears to be play.

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Play and Exploration in Animals — A Comparative Analysis

Cited by 13 publications

References 9 publications

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops

Estudo da motivação para manipulação e para brincadeira social em macacos-prego (Sapajus SP.)

Is it for real? Structural differences between play and real fighting in adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

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