Initiating language in LIDA: learning the meaning of vervet alarm calls

This paper initiates language in LIDA by using the Learning Intelligent Decision Agent’s (LIDA) perceptual learning mechanism to suggest how an infant vervet, Chlorocebus pygerthrus, learns the meanings of vervet monkey alarm calls. We consider a multiple meanings approach which includes a feeling-based meaning, an action-based meaning, and a referential meaning. Simulations first test the learning of the meanings of these alarm calls while the infant is physically attached to the mother. The second simulations study the infant’s understanding of these alarm calls while the infant is detached physically from the mother. Our results confirm that a LIDA based agent simulating a vervet infant is capable of learning such multiple meanings. The agent learned in sequence the feeling-based meaning, the action-based meaning, and the referential meaning. The LIDA agent achieved a good understanding of each of these meanings. This work can be seen as a starting step toward modeling the learning of human language in the LIDA cognitive architecture. Such modeling of language use would be a significant addition to the LIDA model.