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Informational Constraints-Driven Organization In Goal-Directed Behavior

Author

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  • SANDER G. VAN DIJK

    (Adaptive Systems Group, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

  • DANIEL POLANI

    (Adaptive Systems Group, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)

Abstract

We study goal-directed behavior in the light of informationally constrained cognition. In a formal information-theoretical model, based on a description of goal-directed behavior as a family of Markov Decision Processes, we study lower bounds of constraints on the information about a goal needed to generate behavior that achieves such a goal at a certain level of optimality. We assume a working memory that operates on this minimally relevant goal information and study the necessary dynamics of in and out flow of information for such a working memory. Finally, we formally analyze explicit constraints on goal information pathways as information bottlenecks. Our results show that intrinsic and behavioral organizations, such as ritualized behavior, salient sub-goals, and natural abstractions, appear as a result of the studied informational constraints. We argue that a closed approach to generate a family of organizational concepts in a coherent way by systematically applying cognitive constraints as taken in this work can constitute an important step toward guiding self-organization.

Suggested Citation

  • Sander G. Van Dijk & Daniel Polani, 2013. "Informational Constraints-Driven Organization In Goal-Directed Behavior," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(02n03), pages 1-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:acsxxx:v:16:y:2013:i:02n03:n:s0219525913500161
    DOI: 10.1142/S0219525913500161
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Donnarumma & Domenico Maisto & Giovanni Pezzulo, 2016. "Problem Solving as Probabilistic Inference with Subgoaling: Explaining Human Successes and Pitfalls in the Tower of Hanoi," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-30, April.

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