Article,
AIBO’s first words: The social learning of language and meaning
Evolution of Communication, 4 (1): 3-32 (2000)
Abstract
This paper explores the hypothesis that language communication in its
very first stage is bootstrapped in a social learning process under the strong
influence of culture. A concrete framework for social learning has been developed
based on the notion of a language game. Autonomous robots have
been programmed to behave according to this framework. We show experiments
that demonstrate why there has to be a causal role of language
on category acquisition; partly by showing that it leads effectively to the
bootstrapping of communication and partly by showing that other forms of
learning do not generate categories usable in communication or make information
assumptions which cannot be satisfied.
