Question: How do language users develop a shared communication system?

The Talking Heads experiment studied the evolution of a shared lexicon in a population of embodied software agents. The agents developed their vocabulary by observing a scene through digital cameras and communicating about what they have seen together. To add an extra level of complexity to their task, agents were able to move freely between different computer installations located in different parts of the world. Members of the public were able to influence the course of the experiment by logging on to the Talking Heads website to create and teach their own agents.

Links: The Talking Heads Experiment

Participants: Luc Steels, Frédéric Kaplan, Angus McIntyre, Joris Bleys, Joris Van Looveren

Tags: Language

References

Kaplan, F. La naissance d'une langue chez les robots. Hermes Science, Paris, 2001.

Steels, L., Kaplan, F., McIntyre, A. and Van Looveren, J. Crucial factors in the origins of word-meaning. In Wray, A., editor, The Transition to Language, pages 252-271, Oxford University Press. Oxford, UK, 2002.

Steels, L. How language bootstraps cognition. In Wachsmutt, I. and Jung, B., editor, KogWis '99: Proceedings der 4. Fachtagung der Gesellschaft für Kognitionswissenschaft, pages 1-3, Braunschweig, 1999. Infix.

Steels, L. The Talking Heads Experiment. Volume 1. Words and Meanings. Laboratorium, Antwerpen, 1999.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 1st, 1999 at 9:00 am and is filed under Language.