# Framework for Incorporating Artificial Somatic Markers in the Decision-Making of Autonomous Agents
## 1 Introduction  
The somatic marker hypothesis proposes that when a person faces a decision scenario, many thoughts arise and different \"physical consequences\" are fleetingly observable (somatic consequences being momentary changes in the body) [1]. The body sends signals in terms of sudden and immediate physical changes. Some activation signals of a somatic marker are sweating, rapid heartbeat, or momentary contraction of the body. These coronal changes could anticipate decision-making. Human life is recorded in terms of experience, which is accompanied by emotional associations and bodily reactions. These (somatic) memories are evoked or brought to the present when experiencing or facing a situation similar to a past episode [1, 2]. A somatic marker can focus the attention on the positive or negative outcome of a given action and act as an automatic alarm. This signal could trigger, for example, that a person immediately discards a course of action before decision analysis andselecting, forcing the search for alternatives. This automatic step can drastically reduce the number of options to choose from [1]. It is also clear that somatic markers themselves are not enough to make decisions, since it is necessary to implement a process of reasoning and a final selection of the most convenient alternative [1]. Considering the above, it is interesting to explore how the biological capacity to experience somatic markers could be designed to be incorporated into artificial entities that must face decision-making scenarios. In this sense, the agent paradigm arises as an interesting option to consider because evidence based on theoretical and empirical research shows how agent technology has been successfully used for developing and implementing decision scenarios in criminology [3], logistics, transportation and urban issues [4; 5; 6; 7; 8], e-markets [9; 10; 11; 12], and catastrophe management [13], to name a few. This technology is based on the agent concept, which represents an entity with the capability to undertake autonomous actions in a determined environment considering specific design goals [14; 15; 16]. It is generally accepted that emotions and the affective dimension influence cognitive capacities [17]. Considering the above, several proposals for including these elements within autonomous agents have been presented in videogames [18], human-robot interaction [19], e-markets [20], agent societies [21; 22], health [23], and learning [24], to name a few. The authors of the present research work have, in the past, designed software frameworks [25; 26] and explored the incorporation of artificial emotions in autonomous agents, specifically in purchasing decisions [27] and investment decisions [28; 29; 30; 31]. In particular, the incorporation of primary emotions (such as joy or fear) in investment profiles implemented within autonomous agents has been analyzed to observe the effect of emotional containment and recovery. However, in no previous work have the authors explored the incorporation of artificial somatic markers into autonomous agents. The quantity of proposals that suggest the incorporation of somatic markers in autonomous agents is considerably less [32; 33; 34]. To the best of our knowledge, a proposal that considers the incorporation of artificial somatic markers in a disaggregated and specialized way for the different phases that make up a decision-making process has not been observed yet. In this sense, it is possible to consider the use of artificial somatic markers both in a specialized way in a particular decision phase that an autonomous agent needs to perform, as well as in an integrated way, that is, in all different moments of a decision disposed as a unified decision-making process. The present research work offers a qualitative perspective following an approach of the grounded theory [35], which is suggested when existing theories or models cannot fully explain or understand a phenomenon, context, or the circumstances under study.