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This paper presents an imitation learning system capable of learning tasks in a complex dynamic real-time environment. In this paper, we argue that social learning should be thought of as a special case of general skill learning, and that the biases it presents to the skill learning problem radically simplify learning for species with sufficient innate predisposition to harness this power. We decompose skill learning into four subproblems, then show how a modification of Roy's CELL system can address all these problems simultaneously. Our system is demonstrated working in the domain of a real-time virtual-reality game, Unreal Tournament. Read more...

In this article, we review research that explores how the effects of media violence on aggression may be diminished and how media productions may be used to reduce aggressive attitudes and behaviors. Studies show that adults' comments before or during media exposure can reduce the impact of violent programming on children aggressiveness under some circumstances. Experiments involving more extensive media literacy curricula show that some approaches can alter attitudes toward media violence and, in a few cases, intervene in aggressive behavior. Studies of the impact of antiviolence media productions reveal that although such efforts can be effective, unanticipated "boomerang" effects are prevalent. Overall, the effectiveness of the 3 types of interventions was highly variable, and age and gender differences were prominent. The findings suggest that more research is needed to determine the best approaches to developing parental interventions, media literacy strategies, and prosocial media presentations for reducing youth violence. Read more...