The biannual International Conference on the Simulation of Adaptive Behavior brings together researchers from ethology, psychology, ecology, artificial intelligence, artificial life, robotics, engineering, and related fields to advance the understanding of behaviors and underlying mechanisms that allow natural and synthetic agents (animats) to adapt and survive in uncertain environments. The work presented focuses on well-defined models -- robotic, computer simulation, and mathematical -- that help to characterize and compare various organizational principles or architectures underlying adaptive behavior in both animals and animats. The proceedings of the eighth conference treat such topics as passive and active perception, navigation and mapping, collective and social behavior, and applied adaptive behavior.