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- Genre: Academic theses
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Traditional Reinforcement Learning (RL) assumes to learn policies with respect to reward available from the environment but sometimes learning in a complex domain requires wisdom which comes from a wide range of experience. In behavior based robotics, it is observed that a complex behavior can be described by a combination of simpler behaviors. It is tempting to apply similar idea such that simpler behaviors can be combined in a meaningful way to tailor the complex combination. Such an approach would enable faster learning and modular design of behaviors. Complex behaviors can be combined with other behaviors to create even more advanced behaviors resulting in a rich set of possibilities. Similar to RL, combined behavior can keep evolving by interacting with the environment. The requirement of this method is to specify a reasonable set of simple behaviors. In this research, I present an algorithm that aims at combining behavior such that the resulting behavior has characteristics of each individual behavior. This approach has been inspired by behavior based robotics, such as the subsumption architecture and motor schema-based design. The combination algorithm outputs n weights to combine behaviors linearly. The weights are state dependent and change dynamically at every step in an episode. This idea is tested on discrete and continuous environments like OpenAI’s “Lunar Lander” and “Biped Walker”. Results are compared with related domains like Multi-objective RL, Hierarchical RL, Transfer learning, and basic RL. It is observed that the combination of behaviors is a novel way of learning which helps the agent achieve required characteristics. A combination is learned for a given state and so the agent is able to learn faster in an efficient manner compared to other similar approaches. Agent beautifully demonstrates characteristics of multiple behaviors which helps the agent to learn and adapt to the environment. Future directions are also suggested as possible extensions to this research.
ContributorsVora, Kevin Jatin (Author) / Zhang, Yu (Thesis advisor) / Yang, Yezhou (Committee member) / Praharaj, Sarbeswar (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
This dissertation describes a series of four studies on cognitive aging, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and their wild relatives. In Chapters 2 and 3, I designed assessments for age-related cognitive deficits in pet dogs which can be deployed rapidly using inexpensive and accessible materials. These novel tests can be easily implemented by owners, veterinarians, and clinicians and therefore, may improve care for elderly dogs by aiding in the diagnosis of dementia. In addition, these widely deployable tests may facilitate the use of dementia in pet dogs as a naturally occurring model of Alzheimer’s Disease in humans.In Chapters 4 and 5, I modified one of these tests to demonstrate for the first time that coyotes (Canis latrans) and wolves (Canis lupus lupus) develop age-related deficits in cognitive flexibility. This was an important first step towards differentiating between the genetic and environmental components of dementia in dogs and in turn, humans. Unexpectedly, I also detected cognitive deficits in young, adult dogs and wolves but not coyotes. These finding add to a recent shift in understanding cognitive development in dogs which may improve cognitive aging tests as well as training, care, and use of working and pet dogs. These findings also suggest that the ecology of coyotes may select for flexibility earlier in development.
In Chapter 5, I piloted the use of the same cognitive flexibility test for red and gray foxes so that future studies may test for lifespan changes in the cognition of small-bodied captive canids. More broadly, this paradigm may accommodate physical and behavioral differences between diverse pet and captive animals. In Chapters 4 and 5, I examined which ecological traits drive the evolution of behavioral flexibility and in turn, species resilience. I found that wolves displayed less flexibility than dogs and coyotes suggesting that species which do not rely heavily on unstable resources may be ill-equipped to cope with human habitat modification. Ultimately, this comparative work may help conservation practitioners to identify and protect species that cannot cope with rapid and unnatural environmental change.
ContributorsVan Bourg, Joshua (Author) / Wynne, Clive D (Thesis advisor) / Aktipis, C. Athena (Committee member) / Gilby, Ian C (Committee member) / Young, Julie K (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
ABSTRACT
Domestic dogs have assisted humans for millennia. However, the extent to which these helpful behaviors are prosocially motivated remains unclear. To assess the propensity of pet dogs to spontaneously and actively rescue distressed humans, this study tested whether sixty pet dogs would release their seemingly trapped owners from a large box. To examine the causal mechanisms that shaped this behavior, the readiness of each dog to open the box was tested in three conditions: 1) the owner sat in the box and called for help (“Distress” test), 2) an experimenter placed high-value food rewards in the box (“Food” test), and 3) the owner sat in the box and calmly read aloud (“Reading” test).
Dogs were as likely to release their distressed owner as to retrieve treats from inside the box, indicating that rescuing an owner may be a highly rewarding action for dogs. After accounting for ability, dogs released the owner more often when the owner called for help than when the owner read aloud calmly. In addition, opening latencies decreased with test number in the Distress test but not the Reading test. Thus, rescuing the owner could not be attributed solely to social facilitation, stimulus enhancement, or social contact-seeking behavior.
Dogs displayed more stress behaviors in the Distress test than in the Reading test, and stress scores decreased with test number in the Reading test but not in the Distress test. This evidence of emotional contagion supports the hypothesis that rescuing the distressed owner was an empathetically-motivated prosocial behavior. Success in the Food task and previous (in-home) experience opening objects were both strong predictors of releasing the owner. Thus, prosocial behavior tests for dogs should control for physical ability and previous experience.
Domestic dogs have assisted humans for millennia. However, the extent to which these helpful behaviors are prosocially motivated remains unclear. To assess the propensity of pet dogs to spontaneously and actively rescue distressed humans, this study tested whether sixty pet dogs would release their seemingly trapped owners from a large box. To examine the causal mechanisms that shaped this behavior, the readiness of each dog to open the box was tested in three conditions: 1) the owner sat in the box and called for help (“Distress” test), 2) an experimenter placed high-value food rewards in the box (“Food” test), and 3) the owner sat in the box and calmly read aloud (“Reading” test).
Dogs were as likely to release their distressed owner as to retrieve treats from inside the box, indicating that rescuing an owner may be a highly rewarding action for dogs. After accounting for ability, dogs released the owner more often when the owner called for help than when the owner read aloud calmly. In addition, opening latencies decreased with test number in the Distress test but not the Reading test. Thus, rescuing the owner could not be attributed solely to social facilitation, stimulus enhancement, or social contact-seeking behavior.
Dogs displayed more stress behaviors in the Distress test than in the Reading test, and stress scores decreased with test number in the Reading test but not in the Distress test. This evidence of emotional contagion supports the hypothesis that rescuing the distressed owner was an empathetically-motivated prosocial behavior. Success in the Food task and previous (in-home) experience opening objects were both strong predictors of releasing the owner. Thus, prosocial behavior tests for dogs should control for physical ability and previous experience.
ContributorsVan Bourg, Joshua Lazar (Author) / Wynne, Clive D (Thesis advisor) / Gilby, Ian C (Committee member) / Aktipis, C. Athena (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019