Reward functions are central in reinforcement learning (RL), guiding agents towards optimal decision-making.
Effective reward design aims to provide signals that accelerate the agent's convergence to optimal behavior.
This thesis investigates different aspects of reward shaping, including teacher-driven, adaptive interpretable reward design, and agent-driven approaches.
The research explores the impact of reward signals on the agent's behavior and learning dynamics and addresses challenges such as delayed, ambiguous, or intricate rewards.