People | Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione

I am a researcher at the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC-CNR), in Rome. I got a degree in Philosophy of Science (University of Pisa) and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology (University of Rome "La Sapienza").

My personal webpage
My publications

Tags:

anticipation and goal-directed behavior

cognitive modelling

cognitive robotics

embodiment

philosophy of mind

Research

1. Goal-directed decision-making and planning. I study how humans and other animals make decisions and plan, especially in complex and ecologically valid situations full of action choices. To this aim, I perform experiments on human and animal decision-making and I build computational models within the framework of probabilistic (Bayesian) inference. I developed novel theories of goal-directed choice and planning that emphasize the roles of prediction and internal models (aka model-based control and active inference) and the interplay of decision and action dynamics during situated decisions (aka embodied choice). Key publications:

Pezzulo, G., Rigoli, F. Friston, K. (2018) Hierarchical Active Inference: a Theory of Motivated Control. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 22(4), 294-306
Pezzulo, G., Cisek, P. (2016) Navigating the Affordance Landscape: Feedback Control as a Process Model of Behavior and Cognition. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(6), 414-424
Pezzulo, G., van der Meer, M., Lansink, C., Pennartz, C. (2014) Internally generated sequences in learning and executing goal-directed behavior. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(12), 647-657
Verschure, P., Pennartz, C., Pezzulo, G. (2014) The why, what, where, when and how of goal directed choice: neuronal and computational principles. Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society of London: Series B, Biological Sciences, 369:20130483.

2. Social interaction and joint action. I study how human co-actors coordinate their actions in space and time to achieve joint goals, such as building something together or performing team sports. To this aim, I perform experiments on human-human joint action and I build computational models within the framework of probabilistic (Bayesian) inference. I developed novel theories of joint action that emphasize mutual prediction and the exchange of coordination signals (aka sensorimotor communication). Key publications:

Pezzulo G., Iodice, P., Donnarumma, F., Dindo, H., Knoblich, G. (2017). Avoiding accidents at the champagne reception: A study of joint lifting and balancing. Psychological Science, in press
Candidi, M., Curioni, A., Donnarumma, F., Sacheli, L. M., Pezzulo, G. (2015) Interactional leader-follower sensorimotor communication strategies during repetitive joint actions. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 12(110), 20150644
Pezzulo, G., Donnarumma, F., and Dindo, H. (2013) Human sensorimotor communication: A theory of signaling in online social interactions. PLoS ONE, 8(11):e79876.

3. The grounding of higher cognition in sensorimotor prediction I study the ways human higher cognitive abilities, and especially future oriented abilities such as prospection and imagination, stem from (and are grounded in) sensorimotor skills. In keeping with embodied theories of cognition, I start from the hypothesis that the architecture of motor prediction and control of our earlier evolutionary ancestors was gradually improved to afford prospective functions and cognitive control – and the latter (higher cognitive) abilities retain essential elements of sensorimotor, predictive control. To test this hypothesis, I perform human experiments and build computational models, within the framework of probabilistic (Bayesian) inference. Key publications:

Pezzulo, G., Kemere, C., and van der Meer, M. (2017) Internally generated hippocampal sequences as a vantage point to probe future-oriented cognition. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, in press.
Pezzulo, G., Rigoli, F., Friston, K. (2015) Active inference, homeostatic regulation and adaptive behavioural control. Progress in Neurobiology, 134:17–35.
Lepora, N. F., Pezzulo, G. (2015) Embodied choice: how action influences perceptual decision making. PLoS Computational Biology, 11(4):e1004110, 2015.

4. Probabilistic models of brain and cognition. I develop novel computational models of brain and cognition, mostly within the framework of probabilistic generative models and active inference (but sometimes also dynamical systems or connectionist – or combinations of these approaches). I proposed novel computational approaches to a variety of cognitive abilities, including perception, decision, planning and learning. In turn, these models offer empirical prediction that I test experimentally. Key publications:

Donnarumma, F., Costantini, M., Ambrosini, E., Friston, K., Pezzulo, G. (2017) Action perception as hypothesis testing. Cortex in press
Friston, K., FitzGerald, T., Rigoli, F., Schwartenbeck, P., O’Doherty, J., Pezzulo, G. (2016) Active inference and learning. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 68: 862-879.
Friston, K., FitzGerald, T., Rigoli, F., Schwartenbeck, P., Pezzulo, G. (2016) Active inference: A process theory. Neural Computation, 29(1): 1-49.

Projects

GOAL-Leaders: Goal-directed, Adaptive Builder Robots

Project Funding:

FP - European Framework Programmes

Project Timeframe:

28 Feb 2011 to 27 Feb 2014

ISTC Contact Person:

Giovanni Pezzulo

Group & ISTC Labs:

Goal-Oriented Agents Lab

Publications

Articolo

2017

Action perception as hypothesis testing

Francesco Donnarumma, Marcello Costantini, Ettore Ambrosini, Karl Friston, Giovanni Pezzulo

Source: Cortex (Online) 89 (2017): 45–60. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.01.016, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Francesco Donnarumma, Marcello Costantini, Ettore Ambrosini, Karl Friston, Giovanni Pezzulo/titolo:Action perception as hypothesis testing/doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.01.016/rivista:Cortex (Online)/anno:2017/pagina_da:45/pagina_a:

Sensorimotor coarticulation in the execution and recognition of intentional actions

Francesco Donnarumma, Haris Dindo, Giovanni Pezzulo

Source: Frontiers in Psychology 8 (2017): 237–248. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00237, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Francesco Donnarumma, Haris Dindo, Giovanni Pezzulo/titolo:Sensorimotor coarticulation in the execution and recognition of intentional actions/doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00237/rivista:Frontiers in Psychology/anno:2017/pagina_da:237/

You cannot speak and listen at the same time: a probabilistic model of turn-taking.

Donnarumma, Francesco, Dindo, Haris, Iodice, Pierpaolo, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Biological cybernetics (Internet) (2017): 1–19. doi:10.1007/s00422-017-0714-1, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Donnarumma, Francesco; Dindo, Haris; Iodice, Pierpaolo; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:You cannot speak and listen at the same time: a probabilistic model of turn-taking./doi:10.1007/s00422-017-0714-1/rivista:Biological cybernetics (I

2016

Active inference and learning

Friston, Karl, FitzGerald, Thomas, Rigoli, Francesco, Schwartenbeck, Philipp, O'Doherty, John, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews 68 (2016): 862–879. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.022, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Friston, Karl; FitzGerald, Thomas; Rigoli, Francesco; Schwartenbeck, Philipp; O'Doherty, John; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Active inference and learning/doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.022/rivista:Neuroscience and biobehavioral rev

Active inference and robot control: a case study.

Pio-Lopez, Leo, Nizard, Ange, Friston, Karl, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Journal of the Royal Society interface (Print) 13 (2016)., info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pio-Lopez, Leo; Nizard, Ange; Friston, Karl; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Active inference and robot control: a case study./doi:/rivista:Journal of the Royal Society interface (Print)/anno:2016/pagina_da:/pagina_a:/intervallo_pagine

Active Inference: a Process Theory

Friston, Karl, FitzGerald, Thomas, Rigoli, Francesco., Schwartenbeck, Philipp, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Neural computation (2016). doi:10.1162/NECO_a_00912, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Friston, Karl; FitzGerald, Thomas; Rigoli, Francesco., Schwartenbeck, Philipp; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Active Inference: a Process Theory/doi:10.1162/NECO_a_00912/rivista:Neural computation/anno:2016/pagina_da:/pagina_a:/interv

Avoiding accidents at the champagne reception: A study of joint lifting and balancing

Pezzulo, Giovanni, Iodice, Pierpaolo, Donnarumma, Francesco, Dindo, Haris, Knoblich, Guenther

Source: Psychological science (Print) (2016)., info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pezzulo, Giovanni; Iodice, Pierpaolo; Donnarumma, Francesco; Dindo, Haris; Knoblich, Guenther/titolo:Avoiding accidents at the champagne reception: A study of joint lifting and balancing/doi:/rivista:Psychological science (Print

Consensus Paper: Towards a Systems-Level View of Cerebellar Function: the Interplay Between Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia, and Cortex

Caligiore D., Pezzulo G., Baldassarre G., Bostan A.C., Strick P.L., Doya K., Helmich R.C., Dirkx M., Houk J., Jorntell H., Lago-Rodriguez A., Galea J.M., Miall R.C., Popa T., Kishore A., Verschure P.F.M.J., Zucca R., Herreros I.

Source: Cerebellum (Lond., Print) 16 (2016): 203–229. doi:10.1007/s12311-016-0763-3, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Caligiore D.; Pezzulo G.; Baldassarre G.; Bostan A.C.; Strick P.L.; Doya K.; Helmich R.C.; Dirkx M.; Houk J.; Jorntell H.; Lago-Rodriguez A.; Galea J.M.; Miall R.C.; Popa T.; Kishore A.; Verschure P.F.M.J.; Zucca R.; Herreros I.

Endogenous Bioelectric Signaling Networks: Exploiting Voltage Gradients for Control of Growth and Form

Levin, Michael, Pezzulo, Giovanni, Finkelstein, J.M.

Source: Annual review of biomedical engineering (Print) (2016)., info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Levin, Michael; Pezzulo, Giovanni; Finkelstein, J.M./titolo:Endogenous Bioelectric Signaling Networks: Exploiting Voltage Gradients for Control of Growth and Form/doi:/rivista:Annual review of biomedical engineering (Print)/anno

Prefrontal Goal Codes Emerge as Latent States in Probabilistic Value Learning.

Stoianov, Ivilin, Genovesio, Aldo, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Journal of cognitive neuroscience 28 (2016): 140–57. doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00886, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Stoianov, Ivilin; Genovesio, Aldo; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Prefrontal Goal Codes Emerge as Latent States in Probabilistic Value Learning./doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00886/rivista:Journal of cognitive neuroscience/anno:2016/pagina_da:14

Top-down models in biology: explanation and control of complex living systems above the molecular level

Pezzulo, Giovanni, Levin, Michael

Source: Journal of the Royal Society interface (Print) (2016). doi:10.1098/rsif.2016.0555, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pezzulo, Giovanni; Levin, Michael/titolo:Top-down models in biology: explanation and control of complex living systems above the molecular level/doi:10.1098/rsif.2016.0555/rivista:Journal of the Royal Society interface (Print)/a

Toward mechanistic models of action-oriented and detached cognition.

Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Behavioral and brain sciences (Print) 39 (2016): e130. doi:10.1017/S0140525X15001648, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Toward mechanistic models of action-oriented and detached cognition./doi:10.1017/S0140525X15001648/rivista:Behavioral and brain sciences (Print)/anno:2016/pagina_da:e130/pagina_a:/intervallo_pagine:e130/

2015

A Programmer-Interpreter Neural Network Architecture for Prefrontal Cognitive Control

Donnarumma, Francesco, Prevete, Roberto, Chersi, Fabian, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: International journal of neural systems 25 (2015). doi:10.1142/S0129065715500173, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Donnarumma, Francesco; Prevete, Roberto; Chersi, Fabian; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:A Programmer-Interpreter Neural Network Architecture for Prefrontal Cognitive Control/doi:10.1142/S0129065715500173/rivista:International journal

Active inference and epistemic value

Friston, Karl, Rigoli, Francesco, Ognibene, Dimitri, Mathys, Christoph, Fitzgerald, Thomas, Pezzulo, Giovanni

Source: Cognitive neuroscience (Print) 6 (2015): 187–214. doi:10.1080/17588928.2015.1020053, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Friston, Karl; Rigoli, Francesco; Ognibene, Dimitri; Mathys, Christoph; Fitzgerald, Thomas; Pezzulo, Giovanni/titolo:Active inference and epistemic value/doi:10.1080/17588928.2015.1020053/rivista:Cognitive neuroscience (Print)/a

Active Inference, homeostatic regulation and adaptive behavioural control.

Pezzulo, Giovanni, Rigoli, Francesco, Friston, Karl

Source: Progress in neurobiology (Print) 134 (2015): 17–35. doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2015.09.001, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pezzulo, Giovanni; Rigoli, Francesco; Friston, Karl/titolo:Active Inference, homeostatic regulation and adaptive behavioural control./doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2015.09.001/rivista:Progress in neurobiology (Print)/anno:2015/pagina_

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