# Value Internalization: Learning and Generalizing from Social Reward

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.14681 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.14681/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Reward modeling and RLHF, one of 10 directions in LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation.
- Builds on 11 of its 51 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 19 Jul 2024.

## Placed in

- LLM alignment / RLHF / preference optimisation / [Reward modeling and RLHF](https://mlsanity.com/alignment/reward-modeling-and-rlhf/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.02155/) (2022)
- [Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.06347/) (2017)
- [Deep reinforcement learning from human preferences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03741/) (2017)
- [The Effects of Reward Misspecification: Mapping and Mitigating Misaligned Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.03544/) (2022)
- [Minigrid & Miniworld: Modular & Customizable Reinforcement Learning Environments for Goal-Oriented Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.13831/) (2023)
- [Hierarchical Deep Reinforcement Learning: Integrating Temporal Abstraction and Intrinsic Motivation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.06057/) (2016)
- [Variational Information Maximisation for Intrinsically Motivated Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.08731/) (2015)
- [Reward-rational (implicit) choice: A unifying formalism for reward learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.04833/) (2020)
- [Language as a Cognitive Tool to Imagine Goals in Curiosity-Driven Exploration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.09253/) (2020)
- [Schema Networks: Zero-shot Transfer with a Generative Causal Model of Intuitive Physics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.04317/) (2017)
- [Causal Confusion and Reward Misidentification in Preference-Based Reward Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.06601/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Social rewards shape human behavior. During development, a caregiver guides a learner's behavior towards culturally aligned goals and values. How do these behaviors persist and generalize when the caregiver is no longer present, and the learner must continue autonomously? Here, we propose a model of value internalization where social feedback trains an internal social reward (ISR) model that generates internal rewards when social rewards are unavailable. Through empirical simulations, we show that an ISR model prevents agents from unlearning socialized behaviors and enables generalization in out-of-distribution tasks. We characterize the implications of incomplete internalization, akin to "reward hacking" on the ISR. Additionally, we show that our model internalizes prosocial behavior in a multi-agent environment. Our work provides a foundation for understanding how humans acquire and generalize values and offers insights for aligning AI with human values.