Path-finding using reinforcement learning and affective states

During decision making and acting in the environment humans appraise decisions and observations with feelings and emotions. In this paper we propose a framework to incorporate an emotional model into the decision making process of a machine learning agent. We use a hierarchical structure to combine reinforcement learning with a dimensional emotional model. The dimensional model calculates two dimensions representing the actual affective state of the autonomous agent. For the evaluation of this combination, we use a reinforcement learning experiment (called Dyna Maze) in which, the agent has to find an optimal path through a maze. Our first results show that the agent is able to appraise the situation in terms of emotions and react according to them.