Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter IV
Using Misunderstanding and
Discussion in Dialog as a
Knowledge Acquisition or
Enhancement Procecss
Mehdi Yousfi-Monod
University of Montpellier, France
Violaine Prince
University of Montpellier, France
aBstract
The work described in this chapter tackles learning and communication between cognitive artificial agents
and trying to meet the following issue: Is it possible to find an equivalency between a communicative
process and a learning process, to model and implement communication and learning as dual aspects
of the same cognitive mechanism? Therefore, focus is on dialog as the only way for agents to acquire
and revise knowledge, as it often happens in natural situations. This particular chapter concentrates on
a learning situation where two agents, in a “teacher/student” relationship, exchange information with
a learning incentive (on behalf of the student), according to a Socratic dialog. The teacher acts as the
reliable knowledge source, and the student is an agent whose goal is to increase its knowledge base in
an optimal way. The chapter first defines the nature of the addressed agents, the types of relation they
maintain, and the structure and contents of their knowledge base. It emphasizes the symmetry between
the interaction and knowledge management, by highlighting knowledge “repair” procedures launched
through dialogic means. These procedures deal with misunderstanding, as a situation in which the
student is unable to integrate new knowledge directly, and discussion, related to paradoxical informa-
tion handling. The chapter describes learning goals and strategies, student and teacher roles within
both dialog and knowledge handling. It also provides solutions for problems encountered by agents. A
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