Samenvatting

The principle of minimum relative entropy is proposed as a general fundamental principle that could be used by the brain to do inference and update beliefs about the world. It originates from information and probability theory, but we relate it it to the brain, to the concept of surprise and to a minimum free-energy principle that has already been proposed for the brain. The measure of surprise that is based on relative entropy (Bayesian surprise) is compared with another definition
of surprise (Shannon surprise) that is used by Friston for a minimum free-energy principle. Theoretical and experimental justifi cations are given to propose to use Bayesian surprise as a better and more natural definition of surprise. It can be used as a novel way to quantify surprise or related concepts in developmental robotics. This can then be
used in implementations of intrinsic motivations like curiosity to drive exploration, interactive learning and autonomous mental development.