Bridging Values and Behavior: A Hierarchical Framework for Proactive Embodied Agents

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2604.27699v1
• Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:43:55 GMT
• Title: Bridging Values and Behavior: A Hierarchical Framework for Proactive Embodied Agents
• Abstract summary: textitValuePlanner is a hierarchical cognitive architecture that decouples high-level value scheduling from low-level action execution.<n>Our work offers a structured approach to bridging intrinsic values and grounded behavior for autonomous agents.
• Score: 26.613956143957548
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Current embodied agents are often limited to passive instruction-following or reactive need-satisfaction, lacking a stable, high-order value framework essential for long-term, self-directed behavior and resolving motivational conflicts. We introduce \textit{ValuePlanner}, a hierarchical cognitive architecture that decouples high-level value scheduling from low-level action execution. \textit{ValuePlanner} employs an LLM-based cognitive module to generate symbolic subgoals by reasoning through abstract value trade-offs, which are then translated into executable action plans by a classical PDDL planner. This process is refined via a closed-loop feedback mechanism. Evaluating such autonomy requires methods beyond task-success rates, and we therefore propose a value-centric evaluation suite measuring cumulative value gain, preference alignment, and behavioral diversity. Experiments in the TongSim household environment demonstrate that \textit{ValuePlanner} arbitrates competing values to generate coherent, long-horizon, self-directed behavior absent from instruction-following and needs-driven baselines. Our work offers a structured approach to bridging intrinsic values and grounded behavior for autonomous agents.

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