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Human behavior modeling | ||||||||
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The Homeostasis group of aims (phylogenetically inherited) 
The Ego-Conception group of aims (ontogenetically formed) |
Behavior as a function of intentionality
Each subject develops unique motivational portrait during the realization of his own needs. This portrait is formed under the influence of individual psycho-physiological peculiarities as well as under the environmental circumstances that surround. The motivational portrait is the only thing that defines the intentionality of any live creature (or his model)'s behaviour. The main formation of this motivational portrait occurs at the early age. Besides the evolution of motivational structure and the link reorganizations between nodes is continued till the end of life. Nevertheless this complex affects behavior from the early days. The Ego-conception is the mechanism that defines a subject's behavior patterns and is formed on the material of the subject's personal experience.
The importance of Ego-conceptual with a definition of behavior mentality
The motivational aims hierarchy of any live thing is based on the systems of survival and recreation. The nodes (aims) that make up that complex (named Homeostasis) have naturally taken the leading role in the definition of any live creature's activity. Besides that complex intelligent creatures only have a formation which rose at the material of Homeostasis. As far as the founders of humanitarian psychology can judge — the only level of development of that formation (named Ego-conception) defines the extent of rationality and mentality of this creature. Notice that what is explained here is intentionality with intersection of AI methodology and human behavior modeling theories.
Ego-conception function
Any live thing that has a relatively highly developed nervous system takes pleasure (satisfaction) during the realization of his needs. Nevertheless only an intelligent creature is able to a direct stimulation of presented needs and/or to creation of new ones — for the purposes of strengthening (intensification) of their contentment and enrichment of admissible spectrum of his realization. The function and content of Ego-conception can be expressed with following thesis (from the aspect of intentionality approach): self-dependent searching of motivational aims that can bring satisfaction to a subject after their realization (taking into consideration environmental circumstances), as well as additional stimulation of available aims (with limitation by their facilities).
Ego-conception formation and influence on behavior
Ego-conception is permanently under feedforward and feedback relations with the subject's in-born established (inherited) needs and with current conditions of their realization. Thus the subject's adaptation process, on the one hand, occurs under the control of his motivational portrait (presented by primordial aims of philogenetical origin) and, on the other hand, rules the Ego-conception evolution, including into this complex new "useful" aims and excluding "detrimental" ones. Such balancing between two tasks — "search of highest satisfaction" and "avoiding frustrations" — expresses individuality and subjectivity of motive-formation of any intelligent creature.
Human behavior modeling on the base of his motivational portrait
Having realized the creation and functioning algorithms of the main motive-formation apparatus of human psychics we take the tools allowing us to build behavioral models of different persons under the circumstances of any social conditions. Our model has a remarkable feature that makes it different from other attempts to implement intentionality with AI or to construct a behavior model that reflects patterns of a real subject. It can be explained in few words: the modeled subject forms his own objectives for himself, having a unique individual (subjective) attitude to means due to this fact. At that the two factors affect the subject's mechanisms of goal-formation. They are:
a) his own individual qualities and personal experience;
b) environmental conditions (for instance social context).
One way of the practical usage of such model is shown by the example explained below.
Main outlines
Here is presented the technology of human behavior modeling (as well as any live thing having highly organized mind) through realization of the system of his motivational mechanisms. Idealogical concept of the technology bases on the works by well known philosophers and mathematicians, who founded the cybernetics and formulated the idea of Artificial Intelligence (A. Turing, F. Brentano, D. Dennett and others). The mathematical apparatus bases on the conception of hierarchical motivational aims and theories of personalization (subjectivation) of various reactions on an answer to incoming unified stimuli.
The work unifies methods incorporated in conceptions of R. Burns, A. Maslow, K, Rogers, D. Uznadzhe, Z. Freud, E. Fromm and some other psychologists. These methods have been used in algorithms of program simulation evolution of a person's motivation structure — from birth to maturity being influenced by the social environment and his personal characteristics (tending, accentuation etc.). Mathematic model has been created on the base of formalized conception of basic ideas of the above mentioned authors. The model enables, on the one hand, to characterize the social environment, on the other hand — to define the in-born abilities of the person. Afterwards, one can trace the dynamics of changing of motivation sphere that takes place in evolution of the individual under simulated environment.
The motivation system is considered as a hierarchy structure of energy nodes. The system in its turn is subjected to the definite laws of channeling of stimulus energetics. The structure rules (and is ruled) its generating and distribution. These ideas have been used as principles of the model creation. The idea of psychics being informative is advocated by L. M. Vekker. A. Maslow made a point of the idea being used as a method to define the mechanism of motive creation as a hierarchy system in a number of his works. G. Murray mentioned channeling of motivation energetics. However those authors have just enumerated, as a rule, more or less rigidly set structure of necessities. They disagreed on position places and mutual subjectivity of motivation aims in variants of offered hyerarchies. Eventually it is quite obvious why no succesful work has been known up to now that would unify the principles mentioned above in a unified integrated system that would realize the task of functional presentation of this mechanism of human psychics. No such system has so far been described well enough to make it clear for a reader how it would demonstrate both adaptation abilities of psychics in the matter of human need organization in the conditions of a definite living area and how the proper personal unique human features could influence on the way a person sets aims in his own activities.
Taking into account various methods that are not contraversial in their principles but describing various sets of basic needs (or motivation aims) a scheme has been worked out in the developed model that enables to form any node combinations of motivation need hierarchy in any chosen interconnection as well as set parameters of every motivation unit at will. In other words, motivation needs hierarchy forming mechanism has been created. The mechanism is not attached to any of a prior structure reflecting adaptation abilities of psychics in functions or motives channeling. The very channeling of motivational energetics is considered as one of the evolutionized systems of complex psycho. This systems enables to take decisions-actions oriented at motivators percepted from outside. The latter could be evaluated in system of values of the proper aim setting (it would not be irrelvant to cite here the Fromm's definition that "the human character can be determined as a relatively stable form of human energy channeling in the process of assimilation and socialization").
The conceptual thesis of model organizing runs as follows: the motivation system of individual represents a tree-like structure if distribution of stimulus energetics coming from a single source — the root of this hierarchy formed with the minimum of low-level (basics) motives. The hierarchy is topped with the variety of final (acting) motives. Thus the main requirements set forward in terms of mathematical apparatus of the model and its computer realization were the following ones:
a) formalized presentation of basic elements of motivational structure allowing for their monitoring in course of evolutional development;
b) organization of interaction among the motivation system elements with one another monitored by parameters included in description of the given elements;
c) evolution of motivational structures of virtual subjects in sequence of contexts being programmed (fragments of habitat) that leads to self-organization of motivational hierarchy of subjects;
d) tracing all transactions of motivational subjects — both inner ones (the channeling of the motives inside the subject) as well as exterior ones (integration of the motivational objects taken from outside into hierarchy of the subject and subsequent reorganization of channel inside it) and conservation of the state of motivational structure statically for further analysis or monitoring the process.
The task of simulation has not included achieving complete correspondence of the inner world of a man in correlations of the real motivational aims. The success in realization of this model was determined not by exact reproduction of a relative subject's behavior but by constructing the motivational structure capable of adaptation and evolution according to the same laws and based on the same material that psychics of each and every individual functions upon — viewed within an integral set of stimuluses allowing for subjective interpreting, that is, reflecting a person's aim-settings during his reaction to the available motivators. In other words, if the initial basic motivational set of the child-subject in course of the simulated evolution in a definite habitat has been formed as a mature and functional motivational structure of an adult personality then the goal may be deemed as achieved provided the personality reflects requirements set forward to him by the inner organization (individual peculiarites of psychics) and exterior environment (commin social context). The result here should reflect both initial features of the subject as well as the features of his habitat (in accordance with the works of the authors assumed as the basic).
Elements of motivation structure and organizing the hierarchy of channels
It was necessary to define the leading motive that could be assumed as a basic of hierarchy in accordance with assumption of the tree-like layout of motivational structure. K. Roger's ideas about self-actualization as the basic tending of a subject have been used as well as Ego-conception, as a system of self-perceptions controlling and integrity the individual's behavior. The idea of self-actualization is well illustrated in A. Maslow's works that relates it to, as K. Goldstein puts it, "forming the definite degree of tension that would make further organized activities possible". This idea corresponds to our requirements completely. Maslow's, Goldstein's and Rogers ideas are complementary to the view-points of ontopsychology representatives who found the reason of a individual's existence in self-realization, self-fulfillment the inner qualities. The works by De Charms (De Charms, 1959) and White (R. W. White, 1959) are worth mentioning here. Those authors defined the initial motivation as something for a person to experience his own effectiveness and be a cause of changes in the world.
The root motivation aim thus defined and given the term of Self-Affirmation is the only fixed part of motivational structure presenting the common and abstract beginning. All the sturdy motivational hierarchy is based upon this beginning. Its nearest branches are two motivation aim. The first one of them aggregates satisfaction of all needs having the common phylogenetic genesis (homeostasis). The other one is the derivative of the individual's personal experience that reflects his personal and unique peculiarities (Ego-conception). Motivational aims of the first group (the common term for it in the model is Homeostasis) may be presented like that: need in food, shelter, sexual activities, socialization etc. (enumerating the Homeostasis aims group does not necessarily relate to any of the conception and allows for free-willing formation). Motivational aims of the second group (the common terms in the model of Ego-Conception) is reflection of experience of successful meeting the primary needs (initially emerged in the first group and its derivatives) and also preferences, peculiarities and tending specifying the subject. Here the mechanisms forseen in the model enable one to trace all patterns of satisfying both groups fixing all variants of channeling the motivational energy in the tree-like information structure specially designed for that.
It is worth characterizing the basic part of motivational structure relatively rigidly set compared to other models free-willingly monitored by an experimenter. The hierarchy of the channels taking its start from the stem aim Self-Affirmation has the first double branching — Homeostasis and Ego-Conception. The group of aims included in Homeostasis is the reflexion of needs having common physiological and psychological genesis for each homo sapiens. The group of aims included in Ego-Conception is formed in accordance with the experience of a concrete individual reflecting the spectrum of resources most prior for his self-consciousness, that is, the resources bringing utmost pleasure from cycles of their stimulating and satisfying.
Before proceeding to the description of the details of interaction among the objects presenting motivation units it is worth adding that the characteristics of the motives include parameters enabling to correlate the value of a motive worth the type of the personality himself that is classified according to the constitutional theories (E. Kretschmer, V. Petukhov). The unit could be described as related (in percent) to the ecto-, mezo- or endo-resource meaning the dominant of motive creation monitored by the motivational aims related to: the central nervous system by asthenics, muscular system by an athletic and organs of digestion by a endomorphic. However such a parametrization is not manadatory for the algorithm functioning.
It is obvious that the document in the view does not fully describe all possibilities of the created model as well as it is not an instruction to practical simulating (see correspond documentation). Further on some generalized principles that've been used to create the model mechanisms will be described.
Duality of factors of motive formation was reflected in the thesis that the environment presents motivators. At the same time there is the source of the stimulus energy in the inner world an individual. The source determines not only the character of a reaction to every motivator but also its very differing on the background of all accesible motivator's diversity of the environment. The approach like that determines the source of intentions (urging scalars of tension) in the inner world of a subject leaving outside the outer world the factor of final orientation of these intentions. Those factors determine the range of their realization and form vectors of solutions out of those scalars. It is worth mentioning the strict differentiation between the scalar of tension and the motive that emerged whereupon. The scalar of tension emerged herewith upon the motivation aim due to the lack of resource controlled by it. Motive is the energy formation of vector character. This is the result of objectivation by the motivator of tension of the corresponding stimulated motivation aim ruled by the motivator. This motive presents itself as an intention. In the negative of the latter there is the frustration caused by the lack of something necessary or desired (the resource capable of being presented in various objects of the real world). In its positive there is satisfaction as a result of elimination the tension by means of realization of a concretized object of tension.
Here the motivation aim itself may be defined as the controller of the corresponding resource objectizing and substantiating the stimulus energy in accordance with the list of motivators included into the spectrum of realization of the aim in view. The similar controller of the resource is inherited phylogenetically or is assimilated by the individual while he is accumulating his experience. The modality of each motivation aim is determined with the resource it controls. Any essence can be a resource. This essence should have relevance for the subject as long as it can be consumed or produced and allowing for the subjective esteem related to the scale "plenty — sufficient — deficient". The motivation aim exercises the control over the concrete resource. The motivator in contrast to the former represent, as a rule, several resources at the same time. Besides this resource is not exclusively owned by this or that motivator. It is a freely distributed value relating homogenous as well as heterogeneous motivators with the help of interdependencies. The latter govern the choice of the preferable object of realization. The example of the simplest and most common resource is the temporal resource (that belongs to the category of those being consumed but not being produced). In other words efforts may by taken at the same time, that is, the efforts aimed to realize the limited number of motives. There is one more example of a very common resource actual in the context that has been formed by the modern culture — the money resource. Also in the role of resources may come out less essential phenomena (that can not be substantialized by themselves). Among them there are the resource of a social status and other ones from the same category encompassed by the cultural aspect of the contexts of realization of own intentions, the one surrounding the subject.
Thus in the actual model the structure of motive formation is exposed both with the function of motive generation and mechanism of their transformation (channeling). The mechanism in view involves all motivation diversity of the subject's inner world and external objects accessible in its environment into the process of reacting to the emerging stimulus. The exit of the stimulus energy out of the motivation aim is effectuated through orientation at achieving a relative motivator or redirecting it to the auxiliary (instrumental) aim. Impossibility to release the energy builds up tension in the aim that leads to its frustration (ability to resist the frustration is set separately for each motivation aim, changing dynamically according to the experience to satisfy it this ability refects the subject's sensitivity to the motives of the given modality). The unilateral idea of the "defence mechanism" has been added to with the algorithm of the additional stimulation in case of the successful satisfaction of the aim. As a result the autonomous self-regulation of the motivation aim of the level of their needs have been obtained (the self-regulation is being effectuated within the set limits). Such a self-regulation mechanism reflects the person's experience, his abilities and conditions of his existence. This algorithm automatically increases the level of ambitions when the person is permanently successful in satisfying the motivation aim or decreases the need otherwise. Apart from it the function of imagination has been realized as one of the protection mechanisms in the model. This function renders the activities to realize this motive into the inner realm of fantasies. The tension release in this or that aim is effectuated through imagination. It thus creates the imaginary posession by one of its motivators. Operating this motivator in his consciousness the subject may achieve the desired emotions and realize the necessary catharsis that prevents extracting the relevant aim from the group of Ego-Conception or rather the intensity of its frustration subsides.
Organizing the channels among the motivation aim is carried out upon the principle of the rational achieving the goal. According to this principle the energy of stimulating should achieve the resulting action if the shortest way. The contents of such an action should encompass as many aims actual at the moment of initiation as possible.
The hierarchy of motivation aims formed with the settled patterns of stimulus energetics of realization forms the motivational system of values of an individual and typical ways of its support. Thus not only the motivation aims themselves but rather relation among them (channels) determine perceptual contents of the individual's reacting core. Naturally the latter can hardly increase forever — just as its separate nodes can not have the same level of involvement in the relative individual's expirience. As a rule, at the earliest stage of evolution the self-sufficient value for the subject is the motives of physiological origin that relates to organization of its functioning in environment and fulfills the most important task of assimilating to it. Further on, however the enlarging and deepening of the "functioning" idea (transforming it to self-fullfillment while growing the self-consciousness) results in the subject's incorporating the greater number of aims into his motivation hierarchy. These aims are able to satisfy the ever growing requirements to himself and to which he adopts.
As was mentioned above the stimulus energy source is determined within the personality itself. The motive of its existence, being self-realization serves the personality basis. Physiological cover is the first (and not infrequently the main) stage of concretization of this motive. The hierarchy of values and system of values of each subject is originally self-centred. The task of the social environment is to subject that hierarchy to its own aims. This can be achieved by means of incorporating the correspondingly designed motivators into the motivation structure of the individual. Besides it can be achieved through spreading the meaningful field of the Ego-conception of the subject to the phenomena instituted and monitored with socio-cultural context surrounding it.
Originally the motivation system of a subject operates only with those motivators the modality of which is determined by the resources of his own hierarchy aims assimilation. The modality of these aims is determined by the requirements of the socio-cultural environment in which he lives and adopts to. Formation of such aims takes place with orientation of the subject at the action which is being socially approved. By realizing the action a aim included in the hierarchy of the individual is being achieved. As a result an individual is being included in the general system of socio-cultural motivation energetics circulation. In it the subject himself is one of the great number of nodes having all reasons for identification with the special "social motivational aim". Here the individual ceases being a separate organism. He starts manifesting a functional unit of a more common system. He takes responsibility acquiring the certain duties and choses a certain role. He expects (often subconsciously) replenishing his resources he is interested in response to it.
Inspite of the fact that socialization is subjected to the aim controlling these resources the motivators being assimilated in its course are capable to influence on the Homeostasis and Ego-Conception groups. All impact of this influence is determined by the level and quality of these motivators being built-in. It also depends on availability of the contextual support. Thus asociality of the subject may be explaind in two ways: a) the socium has not resource-consument needed by the subject; b) the subject is not able to produce the resource-producent in exchange to them. The circulation stimuluses among the nodes of motivation aims suggests the node isolation (of the subject as the social aim) from the channeling system where the stimulus energy can not be substantialized with the respective motivators.
Everythig mentioned above relates to the idea that the subject is not just a structure open to the socium but is its integral part capable of replenishing the environmental context with contributing own resources-producents, here the context resources are being consumed by him. Integrity and harmony of the context organization related to the individual comprised by it is determined by the volume of this resource exchanging with subjects being the socially active majority (ideally the entire socium). The subject's social activity itself is not determined by just a mere involvement in the stimulus energy circulation at the level of the environmental context but first and foremost by his personal contribution into formation of the motivation-orientator for the resources-consument mostly needed by the social majority. In other words the socially active subject who participates in the formation of context motivators is viewed as a passionary in Gumilev's conception. At the same time any form of activity of a leader's role characterizes the subpassionary. The latter constructs his activities being guided by the given motivators.
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