Active Inference with a Self-Prior in the Mirror-Mark Task
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866915931367669760 |
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| author | Kim, Dongmin Kanazawa, Hoshinori Kuniyoshi, Yasuo |
| author_facet | Kim, Dongmin Kanazawa, Hoshinori Kuniyoshi, Yasuo |
| contents | The mirror self-recognition test evaluates whether a subject touches a mark on its own body that is visible only in a mirror, and is widely used as an indicator of self-awareness. In this study, we present a computational model in which this behavior emerges spontaneously through a single mechanism, the self-prior, without any external reward. The self-prior, implemented with a Transformer, learns the density of familiar multisensory experiences; when a novel mark appears, the discrepancy from this learned distribution drives mark-directed behavior through active inference. A simulated infant, relying solely on vision and proprioception without tactile input, discovered a sticker placed on its own face in the mirror and removed it in approximately 70% of cases without any explicit instruction. Expected free energy decreased significantly after sticker removal, confirming that the self-prior operates as an internal criterion for distinguishing self from non-self. Cross-modal sampling further demonstrated that the self-prior captures visual--proprioceptive associations, functioning as a probabilistic body schema. These results provide a concise computational account of the key behavior observed in the mirror test and suggest that the free energy principle can serve as a unifying hypothesis for investigating the developmental origins of self-awareness. Code is available at: https://github.com/kim135797531/self-prior-mirror |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_09673 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Active Inference with a Self-Prior in the Mirror-Mark Task Kim, Dongmin Kanazawa, Hoshinori Kuniyoshi, Yasuo Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence 68T05, 68T40, 68T42 I.2.0; I.2.6; I.2.9 The mirror self-recognition test evaluates whether a subject touches a mark on its own body that is visible only in a mirror, and is widely used as an indicator of self-awareness. In this study, we present a computational model in which this behavior emerges spontaneously through a single mechanism, the self-prior, without any external reward. The self-prior, implemented with a Transformer, learns the density of familiar multisensory experiences; when a novel mark appears, the discrepancy from this learned distribution drives mark-directed behavior through active inference. A simulated infant, relying solely on vision and proprioception without tactile input, discovered a sticker placed on its own face in the mirror and removed it in approximately 70% of cases without any explicit instruction. Expected free energy decreased significantly after sticker removal, confirming that the self-prior operates as an internal criterion for distinguishing self from non-self. Cross-modal sampling further demonstrated that the self-prior captures visual--proprioceptive associations, functioning as a probabilistic body schema. These results provide a concise computational account of the key behavior observed in the mirror test and suggest that the free energy principle can serve as a unifying hypothesis for investigating the developmental origins of self-awareness. Code is available at: https://github.com/kim135797531/self-prior-mirror |
| title | Active Inference with a Self-Prior in the Mirror-Mark Task |
| topic | Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence 68T05, 68T40, 68T42 I.2.0; I.2.6; I.2.9 |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.09673 |