Knowledge Tree
action selection
Also known as: action selection mechanism
Facts (13)
Sources
Complexity and the Evolution of Consciousness | Biological Theory link.springer.com Sep 14, 2022 9 facts
perspectiveThe theory defended in the article views a valence system as the revolution needed to make animal agency efficient, providing an action selection mechanism for the prioritization of actions in metazoans.
claimThe explosion of pathological complexity in the Cambrian period led to the evolution of a proximate 'common currency' for efficient decision-making, which allowed for fitness-maximizing action selection by assigning values to competing actions on a common scale of hedonic valence.
perspectiveGodfrey-Smith and Sterelny's theories regarding the evolution of mind emphasize environmental complexity but neglect internal sources of teleonomic complexity and underestimate the difficulty of achieving efficient action selection.
claimValence evolved as a proximate common currency for action selection because it reflects the fitness values of alternative actions, thereby solving the combinatorial explosion problem in modeling optimal life history strategies.
perspectiveThe author argues that the explosion in biological complexity was enabled by a transition in the organization of action selection, which represents the dawn of subjectivity prior to the development of sensory experience and selfhood.
claimNematodes use dopamine and other valence-related molecules to organize action and motor activity, which serves as evidence for the ancient origin of valence in helping organisms achieve efficient action selection (Barron et al. 2010).
claimThe Cambrian explosion succeeded because organisms evolved 'Benthamite' traits, utilizing a common currency of hedonic valence to facilitate efficient action selection.
claimValence evolved to address the complexity of choice-problems and action selection, making autonomy and flexible behavior relevant factors in its development.
claimGenuine action selection in animals did not appear until after the Ediacaran period.
The function(s) of consciousness: an evolutionary perspective frontiersin.org Nov 25, 2024 2 facts
claimHierarchical organization in neurobiological control systems allows for flexible problem-solving and action selection, especially when subcomponents operate on different computational levels (Badre and Nee, 2018; Macpherson et al., 2021; Kashtan and Alon, 2005; Meunier et al., 2010).
claimMorsella et al. (2016) identify olfaction as playing a key role in action selection.
Track: Poster Session 3 - aistats 2026 virtual.aistats.org 1 fact
claimThe Recourse Linear UCB (RLinUCB) algorithm optimizes both action selection and feature modifications by balancing exploration and exploitation, inspired by healthcare scenarios where doctors recommend actionable recourses to patients.
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART) frontiersin.org 1 fact
referenceRidderinkhof et al. (2004) examined the neurocognitive mechanisms of cognitive control, specifically the role of the prefrontal cortex in action selection, response inhibition, performance monitoring, and reward-based learning.