The hippocampus and exploration: Dynamically evolving behavior and neural representations

We develop a normative statistical approach to exploratory behavior called information foraging. information foraging highlights the specific processes that contribute to active,rather than passive,exploration and learning. we hypothesize that the hippocampus plays a critical role in active exploration through directed information foraging by supporting a set of processes that allow an individual to determine where to sample. by examining these processes,we show how information directed information foraging provides a formal theoretical explanation for the common hippocampal substrates of constructive memory,vicarious trial and error behavior,schema-based facilitation of memory performance,and memory consolidation. © 2012 johnson,varberg,benhardus,maahs and schrater.