We can see that motivations are important for the survival of the animats. Although they
could survive without them, being all the behaviours reactive, they have a higher probability to
survive a scarce environment and adapt in it if their behaviours are motivated.
Figure 46. Behaviours executed with "=0.8,
(=0.1, and N=1.0.
Figure 47. Behaviours executed with "=0.8, (=0.1, and
N=0.0.
6.2. Social Emergence in the BVL
In this section we will present experiments involving small animat societies, and the
complex social behaviour that emerges from their simple interactions, provided by our I&I
model presented in Chapter 4.
6.2.1. Imitation of behaviour
In this experiment we will test the imitation of a behaviour provided by our I&I model.
Figure 48 shows the initial state of the experiment: a thirsty animat perceiving a water source,
and a second thirsty animat perceiving the first, but without perceiving the water source. The
first animat approaches the water source obeying his thirst. When the second animat perceives
the first one approaching water, he imitates his behaviour because he is also thirsty and
approaches him (as if the first would represent a water source). Once he perceives the water
source, he approaches towards it directly. He avoids the first animat, who while drinking water
does not allow the second animat to approach enough to the water source to be able to drink.
When the first animat finally moves and the water source is free, the second animat satiates his
thirst. These behaviours are illustrated in Figure 49.
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