INSIM1: A Computer Model of Simple Forms of Learning

Abstract

INSIM1 is a computer program, written in LISP, which models simple forms of learning analogues to the learning of a human infant during the first few weeks of his life, such as learning to suck the thumb and learning to perform elementary hand-eye coordination. The program operates by discovering cause-effect relationship and arranging them in a goal tree. For example, if A causes B, and the program wants B, it will set up A as a subgoal, working backward along the chain of causation until it reaches a subgoal which can be reached directly; i.e. a muscle pull. Various stages of the simulated infant's learning are described.