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Behavioral Cloning

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Encyclopedia of Machine Learning

Synonyms

Apprenticeship learning; Behavioral cloning; Learning by demonstration; Learning by imitation; Learning control rules

Definition

Behavioral cloning is a method by which human subcognitive skills can be captured and reproduced in a computer program. As the human subject performs the skill, his or her actions are recorded along with the situation that gave rise to the action. A log of these records is used as input to a learning program. The learning program outputs a set of rules that reproduce the skilled behavior. This method can be used to construct automatic control systems for complex tasks for which classical control theory is inadequate. It can also be used for training.

Motivation and Background

Behavioral cloning (Michie, Bain, & Hayes-Michie, 1990) is a form of learning by imitationwhose main motivation is to build a model of the behavior of a human when performing a complex skill. Preferably, the model should be in a readable form. It is related to other forms of...

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Sammut, C. (2011). Behavioral Cloning. In: Sammut, C., Webb, G.I. (eds) Encyclopedia of Machine Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30164-8_69

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