Using Control Theory for Analysis of Reinforcement Learning and Optimal Policy Properties in Grid-World Problems

Markov Decision Process (MDP) has enormous applications in science, engineering, economics and management. Most of decision processes have Markov property and can be modeled as MDP. Reinforcement Learning (RL) is an approach to deal with MDPs. RL methods are based on Dynamic Programming (DP) algorithms, such as Policy Evaluation, Policy Iteration and Value Iteration. In this paper, policy evaluation algorithm is represented in the form of a discrete-time dynamical system. Hence, using Discrete-Time Control methods, behavior of agent and properties of various policies, can be analyzed. The general case of grid-world problems is addressed, and some important results are obtained for this type of problems as a theorem. For example, equivalent system of an optimal policy for a grid-world problem is dead-beat. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.