Abstract — This paper provides a framework with which a humanoid robot can efficiently learn complex behavior. In this framework, a robot is rewarded by learning how to generate novel sensorimotor feedback—a form of native motivation. This intrinsic drive biases the robot to learn increasingly complex knowledge about itself and its effect on the environment. The framework includes a mechanism for uncovering hidden state in a well-structured state and action space. We present an example wherein the robot, Dexter, learns a sequence of manual skills: (1) searching for and grasping an object, (2) the length of its arms, and (3) how to portray its intentions to human teachers in order to induce them to help. I.

This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support of many people. Most of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to Rod Grupen for many years of inspiring work, our discussions, and his guidance. Without his support and vision, I cannot imagine that the journey would have been as enormously enjoyable and rewarding as it turned out to be. I am very excited about what we discovered during my time at UMass, but there is much more to be done. I look forward to what comes next! In addition to providing professional inspiration, Rod was a great person to work with and for—creating a warm and encouraging laboratory atmosphere, motivating us to stay in shape for his annual half-marathons, and ensuring a sufficient amount of cake at the weekly lab meetings. Thanks for all your support, Rod! I am very grateful to my thesis committee—Andy Barto, David Jensen, and Rachel Keen—for many encouraging and inspirational discussions. Their comments and feedback significantly contributed to the form of this document. I would especially

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