Slow Feature Analysis on Markov Chains from Goal-Directed Behavior

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Schüler, Merlin, Seabrook, Eddie, Wiskott, Laurenz
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Schüler, Merlin
Seabrook, Eddie
Wiskott, Laurenz
author_facet Schüler, Merlin
Seabrook, Eddie
Wiskott, Laurenz
contents Slow Feature Analysis is a unsupervised representation learning method that extracts slowly varying features from temporal data and can be used as a basis for subsequent reinforcement learning. Often, the behavior that generates the data on which the representation is learned is assumed to be a uniform random walk. Less research has focused on using samples generated by goal-directed behavior, as commonly the case in a reinforcement learning setting, to learn a representation. In a spatial setting, goal-directed behavior typically leads to significant differences in state occupancy between states that are close to a reward location and far from a reward location. Through the perspective of optimal slow features on ergodic Markov chains, this work investigates the effects of these differences on value-function approximation in an idealized setting. Furthermore, three correction routes, which can potentially alleviate detrimental scaling effects, are evaluated and discussed. In addition, the special case of goal-averse behavior is considered.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_01145
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Slow Feature Analysis on Markov Chains from Goal-Directed Behavior
Schüler, Merlin
Seabrook, Eddie
Wiskott, Laurenz
Machine Learning
Slow Feature Analysis is a unsupervised representation learning method that extracts slowly varying features from temporal data and can be used as a basis for subsequent reinforcement learning. Often, the behavior that generates the data on which the representation is learned is assumed to be a uniform random walk. Less research has focused on using samples generated by goal-directed behavior, as commonly the case in a reinforcement learning setting, to learn a representation. In a spatial setting, goal-directed behavior typically leads to significant differences in state occupancy between states that are close to a reward location and far from a reward location. Through the perspective of optimal slow features on ergodic Markov chains, this work investigates the effects of these differences on value-function approximation in an idealized setting. Furthermore, three correction routes, which can potentially alleviate detrimental scaling effects, are evaluated and discussed. In addition, the special case of goal-averse behavior is considered.
title Slow Feature Analysis on Markov Chains from Goal-Directed Behavior
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.01145