I . Emergence and development of cognition through embodiment
  We make two basic assumptions. The first one is that embodiment affects and shapes cognitive and behavioral development. The second is that development and expression of many higher-level cognitive functions, such as imitation, spatial perception and tool-use, relies on a multi-modal representation of the body. In this respect, the body schema and the body image are two core concepts that seem to be of fundamental importance. The body schema is a non-conscious neural map of the spatial relations among the body parts which integrates multi-modal sensor information; the body image is a consciously modifiable version of the body schema. We are currently investigating computational models to acquire, use, and extend representations of the body (e.g. Nabeshima et al., 2006). Our research will be oriented at tool use, spatial perception, and imitation learning.

1)Acquisition, usage, and extension of body representations
  It is said as result of modern neurophysiology that body representations dynamically extend to incorporate pieces of the environment that normally would not be considered part of it. Experiments with monkeys, for instance, have shown the existence of a particular class of neurons (located in the intraparietal cortex) which respond to somatosensory (tactile) and visual stimulation (Iriki et al. 1996). Interestingly, if the monkey is trained to retrieve distant objects using a rake, the visual receptive fields of the neurons expand to include the entire length of the tool used, and the mere sight of the tip of the rake is sufficient to activate the neurons - which are called "bimodal" due their characteristics of being activated by tactile and visual stimuli. These findings indicate that the body schema can extend to incorporate tools. More importantly, we can reach some kind of general representation which can integrate bodies and tools in a homogeneous framework.

2)Imitation learning
  The concept of imitation can be divided into three levels: (1) "appearance level imitation", that is, "simple" imitation of movements; (2) "action level imitation", the execution or reproduction of a behavior without the need to understand the purpose of a movement; and (3) "purposive level imitation" which involves also understanding the purpose of a particular action (Kuniyoshi, 2005). It is hypothesized that imitation behaviors develop starting from the first level - during which the other person's actions are imitated and the body schema is extended - to subsequent higher levels, which has visual transformation function by body image. Purpose estimation is obviously necessary because the latter require imitation of another person's purpose. This is considered to relate to research on the theory of mind, and we expect our research to address also basic issues of human communication, make predictions, and suggest novel experimental scenarios.