Gaining Insight into the Mechanisms behind a Sense of Agency in Infancy through Babybot Simulation

Abstract

Research on the mechanisms behind a sense of agency is important, as it might give insight into the fundamental structure of intelligent systems. In developmental psychology, infants are hypothesized to develop a sense of agency in the first months of life. By simulating infants using different learning mechanisms, we attempt to gain insight into the conditions under which these mechanisms are distinguishable. This can in turn lead to the specification of which mechanisms are necessary for a sense of agency. The project's goal is to provide a background for research for explaining the experience of a sense of agency. (99 words)