Yulia Sandamirskaya

Sequence Generation in Dynamic Field Theory Yulia Sandamirskaya

A neural dynamics that controls behavior of an embodied agent has to be coupled through sensory-motor systems to a real-world environment. Thus, temporal continuity and gradedness of the dynamics of the perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes is to be considered. In theface of the inherent variability of these processes, stability is a necessary property of the behaviorally relevant neural states. But stability is in conflict withsequentiality, because transitions from one action to the next one requirethat a neural state decays and gives way to the nextrelevant neural state. In my doctoral thesis, I propose a mechanism that solves the problem of the stability vs. sequentialitytrade-off in a model based on Dynamic Neural Fields. Robotic implementations of the model demonstrate howsequences of actions may be acquired from sensory input and then produced in an unknown environment. The sequence generation model may also be used to increaseautonomy of neural-dynamic cognitive architectures. Overall, thiswork presents first steps towards elaboration of aneural-dynamic architecture that controls autonomous behavior of an embodied agent.