Organisation, Cooperation and Emergence in Social Learning Agents September 11, 2009

Social learning describes the process whereby an individual acquires information from another in a non-genetic manner. There has been much recent research on social learning in simulated agents spanning the initial conditions favourable to their evolution, the evolution of communication systems and some initial research on the impact of social learning on the performance of coordinated agents. This research has taken the form of robotic language games, agent-based simulations, game theoretic approaches and experiments with embodied robotic agents.

However, there are many issues regarding the impact of social learning which merit further exploration. In particular, the emergent effects of social learning on societies in terms of organisation and cooperation are still new areas of important research with great potential for furthering our understanding of such effects in natural systems.

This workshop will provide a venue for the dissemination and discussion of research spanning theoretical biology, multi-agent systems, game theory and artificial life.

The main aims of this workshop will be to:

• Attempt to understand how social learning can lead to the emergence of organised behaviour. In essence, can the addition of social learning to an evolutionary system lead to more complex organised societies capable of solving problems more efficiently?


• Analyse how social behaviour can lead to cooperative behaviour and what conditions are necessary for the spread and survival of socially transmitted cooperative norms.


• Understand how various approaches can impact the success or failure of social learning to acheive these goals.

Contributions invited addressing one or more of the following topics (the list is not exhaustive) are invited:

• Social learning and coordination


• Social learning and cooperation


• Altruism and social learning


• Emergence of organisation and social structures


• Impact of social learning on evolutionary systems


• Communication and language


• The impact of topology


• Social hierarchies


• Kin selection


• Reputation and tags

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Joanna Bryson, University of Bath

Organising Committee

Dara Curran, University College Cork

Colm O’Riordan, National University of Ireland, Galway

This is a workshop to be held within the framework of ECAL 2009 conference.

Conference information provided by konferenciakalauz.hu

Official Website: http://www.4c.ucc.ie/ECAL2009/