Active Inference with a Self-Prior in the Mirror-Mark Task

Abstract:The mirror self-recognition test evaluates whether a subject touches a mark on its own body that is visible only in a mirror, and is widely used as an indicator of self-awareness. In this study, we present a computational model in which this behavior emerges spontaneously through a single mechanism, the self-prior, without any external reward. The self-prior, implemented with a Transformer, learns the density of familiar multisensory experiences; when a novel mark appears, the discrepancy from this learned distribution drives mark-directed behavior through active inference. A simulated infant, relying solely on vision and proprioception without tactile input, discovered a sticker placed on its own face in the mirror and removed it in approximately 70% of cases without any explicit instruction. Expected free energy decreased significantly after sticker removal, confirming that the self-prior operates as an internal criterion for distinguishing self from non-self. Cross-modal sampling further demonstrated that the self-prior captures visual--proprioceptive associations, functioning as a probabilistic body schema. These results provide a concise computational account of the key behavior observed in the mirror test and suggest that the free energy principle can serve as a unifying hypothesis for investigating the developmental origins of self-awareness. Code is available at: this https URL

Machine Learning (cs.LG); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)

I.2.0; I.2.6; I.2.9

arXiv:2604.09673 [cs.LG]

(or arXiv:2604.09673v2 [cs.LG] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.09673 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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