The role of consciousness in biological cybernetics: emergent adaptive and maladaptive behaviours in artificial agents governed by the projective consciousness model

Abstract

The role of consciousness in biological cybernetics remains an essential yet open question. We applied the principles of the Projective Consciousness Model (PCM) to derive a model of appraisal and social-affective perspective taking, and their role in the motivation of action, based on the concept of Field of Consciousness, central to the PCM. We show how these principles can account for known relationships between appraisal and distance as an inverse distance law, and how it can be generalised to implement Theory of Mind. We used simulations of artificial agents based on psychological rationale to demonstrate how different model parameters could generate a variety of emergent adaptive and maladaptive behaviours: the ability to be resilient in the face of obstacles through imaginary projections, the emergence of social approach and joint attention behaviours, the ability to take advantage of false beliefs attributed to others, the emergence of avoidance behaviours as observed in social anxiety disorders, the presence of restricted interests as observed in autism spectrum disorders. The simulation of agents was applied to a specific robotic context, and agents' behaviours were demonstrated by controlling the corresponding robots. The approach opens new paths towards a science of consciousness, and applications, from clinical assessment and training to the design of artificial (virtual and robotic) agents.