I propose a common framework that combines three different paradigms in machine learning: generative, discriminative and imitative learning. A generative probabilistic distribution is a principled way to model many machine learning and machine perception problems. Therein, one provides domain specific knowledge in terms of structure and parameter priors over the joint space of variables. Bayesi...

Indirect reciprocity, a key concept in evolutionary game theory, provides a mechanism that allows cooperation to emerge in a population of self-regarding individuals even when repeated interactions between pairs of actors are unlikely. Recent empirical evidence, in particular laboratory experiments, show that humans typically follow complex assessment strategies involving both reciprocity and i...

This paper is focused on the segmentation of the fabric weave patterns for the urgent requirement of fabric imitative design and redesign.The weave patterns related to the fabric yarn are determined by a new technology, which is called bidimensional mode decomposition based method. The proposed method first iteratively decompose the underlying fabric image into a number of intrinsic mode functi...

Imitation is a highly complex cognitive process, employing vision, perception, representation, memory and motor control. The underlying mechanisms that give rise to imitative behavior have attracted a lot of attention in recent years and have been the subject of research in various disciplines, from neuroscience to animal behavior and human psychology. In particular, studies in monkeys and huma...

In recent years research on automatic imitation has received considerable attention because it represents an experimental platform for investigating a number of inter-related theories suggesting that the perception of action automatically activates corresponding motor programs. A key debate within this research centers on whether automatic imitation is any different than other long-term S-R ass...

In this paper we try to bridge breakthroughs in quantitative sociology/econometrics pioneered during the last decades by Mac Fadden, Brock-Durlauf, Granovetter and Watts-Strogats through introducing a minimal model able to reproduce essentially all the features of social behavior highlighted by these authors. Our model relies on a pairwise Hamiltonian for decision maker interactions which natur...

This paper proposes visual perception and model reproduction based on imitation of a partner robot interacting with a human. First of all, we discuss the role of imitation, and propose the method for imitative behavior generation. After the robot searches for a human by using a CCD camera, human hand positions are extracted from a series of images taken from the CCD camera. Next, the position s...

We want to build robots capable of rich social interactions with humans, including natural communication and cooperation. This work explores how imitation as a social learning and teaching process may be applied to building socially intelligent robots, and summarizes our progress toward building a robot capable of learning how to imitate facial expressions from simple imitative games played wit...