SiMA-C: A Foundational Mental Architecture

Cognitive architectures as frameworks for integrated computational models of the mind often focus on human reasoning capabilities, and sometimes are extended by theories of emotion. The SiMA-C approach starts with low-level mental processing and bases high-level process on its low-level foundation. With the aim of developing a unified model with functional equivalence to the human mind, descriptive concepts of perception, motivation, emotion, and cognition are translated into a functional model of data activation, valuation, mediation, and evaluation. The resulting SiMA-C mental architecture solves the problem of adapting an agent's decision on the current internal state (demands from bodily needs and norms) and the external environment (affordances) and hence mediates between them. Using the SiMA-C model in simulations of environmental-friendly consumer decisions gives an example of a concrete application.