The cognitive agent model presented in this paper generates prior and retrospective ownership states for an action based on principles from recent neurological theories. A prior ownership state is affected by prediction of the effects of a prepared action, and exerts control by strengthening or suppressing actual execution of the action. A retrospective ownership state depends on whether the sensed consequences co-occur with the predicted consequences, and is the basis for acknowledging authorship of actions, for example, in social context. It is shown how poor action effect prediction capabilities can lead to reduced retrospective ownership states, as in persons suffering from schizophrenia. 1

Abstract. This paper presents a neurologically inspired human-like agent model addressing attribution of actions to agents. It is not only capable of attribution of own actions to itself, but also of showing situations where self-generated actions are attributed to other agents, as, for example, for patients suffering from schizophrenia. The mechanisms underlying the model involve prior and retrospective ownership states, and inverse mirroring to generate a mental image of the agent to which an action is attributed. The model is adaptive in that the inverse mirroring can develop based on Hebbian learning. The model provides a basis for applications to human-like virtual agents in the context of for example, training of therapists or agent-based generation of virtual stories.

The cognitive agent model presented in this paper generates prior and retrospective ownership states for an action based on principles from recent neurological theories. A prior ownership state is affected by prediction of the effects of a prepared action, and exerts control by strengthening or suppressing actual execution of the action. A retrospective ownership state depends on whether the sensed consequences co-occur with the predicted consequences, and is the basis for acknowledging authorship of actions, for example, in social context. It is shown how poor action effect prediction capabilities can lead to reduced retrospective ownership states, as in persons suffering from schizophrenia. 1