Abstract
Mainstream approaches to modelling cognitive processes have typically focused on (1) reproducing their neural underpinning, without regard to sensory-motor systems and (2) producing a single, ideal computational model. Evolutionary robotics is an alternative possibility to bridge the gap between neural substrate and behavior by means of a sensory-motor apparatus, and a powerful tool to build a population of individuals rather than a single model. We trained 4 populations of neurorobots, equipped with a pan/tilt/zoom camera, and provided with different types of motor control in order to perform a cancellation task, often used to tap spatial cognition. Neurorobots’ eye movements were controlled by (a) position, (b) velocity, (c) simulated muscles and (d) simulated muscles with fixed level of zoom. Neurorobots provided with muscle and velocity control showed better performances than those controlled in position. This is an interesting result since muscle control can be considered a particular type of position control. Finally, neurorobots provided with muscle control and zoom outperformed those without zooming ability.
References
Bartolomeo P (2014) Attention disorders after right brain damage. Springer, London
Chen Q, Marshall JC, Weidner R, Fink GR (2009) Zooming in and zooming out of the attentional focus: an fMRI study. Cereb Cortex 19:805–819
Deco G, Zihl J (2004) A biased competition based neurodynamical model of visual neglect. Med Eng Phys 26(9):733–743. doi:10.1016/j.medengphy.2004.06.011
Di Ferdinando A, Parisi D, Bartolomeo P (2007) Modeling orienting behavior and its disorders with “ecological” neural networks. J Cogn Neurosci 19(6):1033–1049
Gigliotta O, Bartolomeo P, Miglino O (2013) Introducing sensory-motor apparatus in neuropsychological modelization. In CEUR workshop proceedings, vol 1100, pp 80–87
Gigliotta O, Mirolli M, Nolfi S (2014) Communication based dynamic role allocation in a group of homogeneous robots. Nat Comput 13(3):391–402. doi:10.1007/s11047-014-9443-8
Gigliotta O, Bartolomeo P, Miglino O (2015) Approaching neuropsychological tasks through adaptive neurorobots. Connect Sci 27(2):153–163. doi:10.1080/09540091.2014.968094
Henderson JM (2003) Human gaze control during real-world scene perception. TRENDS in Cogn Sci 7(11):498–504
Hilgetag CC (2000) Spatial neglect and paradoxical lesion effects in the cat—a model based on midbrain connectivity. Neurocomputing 32–33:793–799. doi:10.1016/S0925-2312(00)00246-0
Lennie P (2003) The cost of cortical computation. Curr Biol 13(6):493–497
Massera G (2010) Evolution of grasping behaviour in anthropomorphic robotic arms with embodied neural controllers. University of Plymouth
Massera G, Cangelosi A, Nolfi S (2007) Evolution of prehension ability in an anthropomorphic neurorobotic arm. Front Neurorobotics 1:4. doi:10.3389/neuro.12.004.2007
Massera G, Ferrauto T, Gigliotta O, Nolfi S (2014) Designing adaptive humanoid robots through the FARSA open-source framework. Adapt Behav 22(4):255–265. doi:10.1177/1059712314536909
Nolfi S, Floreano D (2000) Evolutionary robotics: the biology, intelligence, and technology. MIT Press, Cambridge
Nolfi S, Gigliotta O (2010) Evorobot*. In: Nolfi S, Mirolli M (eds) Evolution of communication and language in embodied agents. Springer, Berlin
Ownby RL, Harwood DG (1998) Neuropsychological assessment of attention and its disorders: computational models for neglect, extinction, and sustained attention. In: Parks R, Levine DS, Long DL (eds) Fundamentals of neural network modeling. MIT Press, Cambridge, pp 257–269
Ponticorvo M, Walker R, Miglino O (2007) Evolutionary robotics as a tool to investigate spatial cognition in artificial and natural systems. In: Loula AC, Gudwin R, Queirz J (eds) Artificial cognition systems. Idea Group, Hershley, pp 210–237. ISBN:1-59904-111-1
Posner MI (2014) Guides to the study of attention. In: Kastner S, Nobre AC (eds) The Oxford handbook of attention. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 3–8
Pouget A, Sejnowski TJ (2001) Simulating a lesion in a basis function model of spatial representations: comparison with hemineglect. Psychol Rev 108(3):653–673
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gigliotta, O., Bartolomeo, P. & Miglino, O. Neuromodelling based on evolutionary robotics: on the importance of motor control for spatial attention. Cogn Process 16 (Suppl 1), 237–240 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0714-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0714-9