Reinforcement Learning for Nash Equilibrium Generation

Copyright © 2015, International Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (www.ifaamas.org). All rights reserved.We propose a new conceptual multi-agent framework which, given a game with an undesirable Nash equilibrium, will almost surely generate a new Nash equilibrium at some predetennined, more desirable pure action profile. The agent(s) targeted for reinforcement learn independently according to a standard model-free algorithm, using internally-generated states corresponding to high-level preference rankings over outcomes. We focus in particular on the case in which the additional reward can be considered as resulting from an internal (re-)appraisal, such that the new equilibrium is stable independent of the continued application of the procedure

A neural model of empathic states in attachment-based psychotherapy

We build on a neuroanatomical model of how empathic states can motivate caregiving behaviour, via empathy circuit-driven activation of regions in the hypothalamus and amygdala which in turn stimulate a mesolimbic-ventral pal- lidum pathway, by integrating findings related to the perception of pain in self and others. Based on this we propose a network to capture states of personal distress and empathic concern, which are particularly relevant for psychothera- pists conducting attachment-based interventions. This model is then extended for the case of Self-Attachment therapy in which conceptualised components of the self serve as both the source of and target for empathic resonance, and we consider how states of empathic concern involving an other that is perceived as being closely related to the self might enhance the motivation for self-directed bonding. We simulate our model computationally, and discuss the interplay between the bonding and empathy protocols of the therapy

An immersive virtual reality mobile platform for self-attachment

Psychotherapy is among the most effective techniques for combating mental health issues, and virtual reality is beginning to be explored as a way to enhance the efficacy of various psychotherapeu- tic treatments. In this paper we propose an immersive virtual reality mobile platform for Self-Attachment psychotherapy. Under the Self- Attachment therapeutic framework, the causes of disorders such as chronic anxiety and depression are traced back to the quality of the individual’s attachment with their primary caregiver during child- hood. Our proposed platform aims to assist the user in enhancing their capacities for self-regulation of emotion, by means of earning secure attachment through the experience of positive attachment in- teractions, missed in their childhood. In the virtual environment pro- vided by the platform, the adult-self of the user learns to create and strengthen an affectional and supportive bond with the inner-child. It is hypothesised that by long term potentiation and neuroplasticity, the user gradually develops new neural pathways and matures into an effective secure attachment object for the inner-child, thereby en- abling the self-regulation of emotions

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators of attachment under active inference

This paper addresses the formation of infant attachment types within the context of active inference: a holistic account of action, perception and learning in the brain. We show how the organised forms of attachment (secure, avoidant and ambivalent) might arise in (Bayesian) infants. Specifically, we show that these distinct forms of attachment emerge from a minimisation of free energy—over interoceptive states relating to internal stress levels—when seeking proximity to caregivers who have a varying impact on these interoceptive states. In line with empirical findings in disrupted patterns of affective communication, we then demonstrate how exteroceptive cues (in the form of caregiver-mediated AMBIANCE affective communication errors, ACE) can result in disorganised forms of attachment in infants of caregivers who consistently increase stress when the infant seeks proximity, but can have an organising (towards ambivalence) effect in infants of inconsistent caregivers. In particular, we differentiate disorganised attachment from avoidance in terms of the high epistemic value of proximity seeking behaviours (resulting from the caregiver’s misleading exteroceptive cues) that preclude the emergence of coherent and organised behavioural policies. Our work, the first to formulate infant attachment in terms of active inference, makes a new testable prediction with regards to the types of affective communication errors that engender ambivalent attachment