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How can an action change the information available to an agent?

An agent can change observations through action; inferring a hidden state and selecting an action are different operations.

Psychology & mindThinker · Selected readingBeginner friendly
Background and goal

No prior study required. Read the assigned passage; the route is an introduction, not a survey of the whole subject.

Build a two-state observation table and compare choosing an informative observation with choosing an immediately rewarding action.

Your pathway

4 steps · 3 hours
  1. 01

    Begin in fifteen minutes

    0.25h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    First fifteen minutesWrite your initial answer to “How can an action change the information available to an agent?” in three sentences. Keep it to compare with your final answer.
    Your outputThree-sentence starting answer
  2. 02

    Read the argument

    1h · week 1
    Active Inference: A Process Theory

    Karl J. Friston · Thomas FitzGerald · Francesco Rigoli · Philipp Schwartenbeck · Giovanni Pezzulo · paper

    Active Inference: A Process Theory, abstract and Introduction; identify observations, hidden causes and actions.

    Free full text

    Open the reading
    Reading notes and task

    Active Inference: A Process Theory. Neuroscience and mathematical frameworks for inference, perception and action. Begin with a small probabilistic model before tackling the formal free-energy principle.

    Try thisRead Active Inference: A Process Theory, abstract and Introduction; identify observations, hidden causes and actions.. Mark one claim, its reason and a passage you do not yet understand.
    Your outputAnnotated argument
    Check your understanding

    An agent tries to decide whether a door is open. Name a hidden state, an observation and an action in this example.

    Hint

    Keep the world, its sensory evidence and the agent’s intervention separate.

    Compare with an example answer

    The door’s open/closed condition is a hidden state. An image of the doorway is an observation. Moving to view it from another angle is an action. The model also needs assumptions connecting states to observations.

    What to look for

    • Distinguishes the condition from the sensory observation
    • Gives an action that changes what can be observed
    • Identifies the need for a model connecting evidence to hidden causes

    Common mistake: Calling the image itself the hidden state.

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  3. 03

    Try the idea

    1h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisBuild a two-state observation table and compare choosing an informative observation with choosing an immediately rewarding action.
    Your outputWorked example
    Check your understanding

    Would one accurate prediction establish that active inference is a complete explanation of behaviour?

    Hint

    Compare success on a task with support for a whole framework.

    Compare with an example answer

    No. We would need a specified model, alternative explanations and observations that discriminate between them. A fit on one example supports a much narrower claim.

    What to look for

    • States the limited scope of one successful prediction
    • Names an alternative or a comparison test
    • Keeps model assumptions visible

    Common mistake: Treating successful prediction as unique confirmation.

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  4. 04

    Explain what changed

    0.75h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisRevise your initial answer. Include one passage, one reason and one limit: A coherent formal model is not, by itself, empirical confirmation of every application.
    Your outputRevised answer with a reading reference
    Check your understanding

    Is variational free energy simply the energy used by the brain?

    Hint

    Ask what quantity each use of “energy” measures.

    Compare with an example answer

    No. Variational free energy is a quantity in an inference objective. Metabolic energy is a physical quantity. Connecting them requires an argument and assumptions; a shared word does not identify them.

    What to look for

    • Distinguishes inference objective from physical energy
    • Does not infer equivalence from vocabulary

    Common mistake: Replacing a mathematical objective with a metabolic measurement.

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All 1 resources

Background, different viewpoints, and further reading.

  • Active Inference: A Process Theory

    Karl J. Friston · Thomas FitzGerald · Francesco Rigoli · Philipp Schwartenbeck · Giovanni Pezzulopapercore

    Neuroscience and mathematical frameworks for inference, perception and action. Begin with a small probabilistic model before tackling the formal free-energy principle.

    Active Inference: A Process Theory, abstract and Introduction; identify observations, hidden causes and actions.

Continue learning

  • Study Karl Friston

    Introduces the question and vocabulary used in the longer selected reading.

    Psychology & mindSome background

  • Read Active Inference

    Try the short introduction before committing to the complete work, or use equivalent reading experience.

    Psychology & mindSome background