Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T08:12:05.317Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Explanation and dialogue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2009

Nigel Gilbert
Nigel Gilbert
Affiliation:
Social and Computer Sciences Group, Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Recent approaches to providing advisory knowledge-based systems with explanation capabilities are reviewed. The importance of explaining a system's behaviour and conclusions was recognized early in the development of expert systems. Initial approaches were based on the presentation of an edited proof trace to the user, but while helpful for debugging knowledge bases, these explanations are of limited value to most users. Current work aims to expand the kinds of explanation which can be offered and to embed explanations into a dialogue so that the topic of the explanation can be negotiated between the user and the system. This raises issues of mutual knowledge and dialogue control which are discussed in the review.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Knowledge Engineering Review , Volume 4 , Issue 3 , September 1989 , pp. 235 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, JM and Drew, P, 1979. Order in court, London: Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cawsey, A, 1989. “Explanatory dialogues” Interacting with computers 1 69–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clancey, WJ, 1983. “The epistemology of a rule-based expert system: A framework for explanation” Artificial Intelligence 20 (3) 215–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crossfield, L, 1986. “Explanation in regard to a welfare benefits advice system” Proceedings of the First Explanation SIG, Guildford, IEE.Google Scholar
DeJong, G, 1988. “An introduction to explanation-based learning” In: Shrobe, H. E. (ed.), Exploring Artificial Intelligence, Morgan Kaufman.Google Scholar
Diaper, D, 1986. “Identifying the knowledge requirements of an expert system's natural language processing interface” In: Harrison, MD and Monk, AF (eds.), People and computers: designing for usability, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Draper, S, 1987. “Spontaneous explanation” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 74–82, Guildford, IEE.Google Scholar
Frohlich, DF and Luff, P, 1989. “Conversational resources for situated action” Proceedings of CHI '89, pp 253–258, Austin, Texas.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garfinkel, H, 1967. Studies in ethnomethodology, New York: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Garrod, S, 1987. “Explanation in dialogue as attempts to overcome problems in coordination” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 83–93, Guildford, IEE.Google Scholar
Gilbert, GN, 1985. “Society, Judgement and Responsibility” Seminar on the social implications of expert systems and artificial intelligence, Abingdon, 05 1985. British Computer Society Specialist Group on Expert Systems.Google Scholar
Gilbert, GN, 1987a. “Questions and answer types” In: Moralee, DS (ed.), Research and development in expert systems IV, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp 162–72.Google Scholar
Gilbert, GN, 1987b. “Advice, discourse and explanations” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 94–109, Guildford, IEEE.Google Scholar
Gilbert, GN, 1987c. “Cognitive and social models of the user” In: Bullinger, H-J and Shackel, B (eds.), Human-computer interaction—Interact '87, Amsterdam: North-Holland, pp 165–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, GN, Buckland, S, Cordingely, ES, Frohlich, D, Hardey, M, Jirotka, M, Luff, P and Robinson, P, 1989. “Providing advice through dialogue” University of Surrey Social and Computer Sciences Research Report.Google Scholar
Goguen, JA, Weiner, JL and Linde, C, 1983. “Reasoning and natural explanation” International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 19 521–559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graesser, AC and Murachver, T, 1985. “Symbolic procedures of question answering” In Graesser, AC and Black, JB (eds.), The Psychology of questions. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale.Google Scholar
Grice, HP, 1975. “Logic and conversion” In: Cole, P. and Morgan, J (eds.), Syntax and Semantics, New York: Academic Press, pp 41–58.Google Scholar
Guindon, R, 1988. “A multidisciplinary perspective on dialogue structure in user-advisor dialogues” In: Guindon, R (ed.), Cognitive Science and its applications for HCI, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Harman, G, 1986. Change in view, Massachutts: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Hughes, S, 1986. “Question classification in rule-based systems” In: Bramer, M (ed.), Research and development in expert systems III, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Jefferson, G, 1974. “Side sequences” In: Sudnow, D (ed.), Studies in social interaction, New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Joshi, AK, 1982. “The role of mutual beliefs in question answering systems” In: Smith, N (ed.), Mutual belief, London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kidd, AL, 1985. “What do users ask? Some thoughts on diagnostic advice” In: Merry, M (ed.), Expert systems '85, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lehnert, WG, 1977. “Human and computational question-answering” Cognitive Science 1 47–73.Google Scholar
Levinson, S, 1983. Pragmatics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maybury, M, 1988. “Explanation rhetoric: the rhetorical progression of justifications” Workshop on Explanation, AAAI '88, pp 16–21, St Paul, MN, 08, 1988.Google Scholar
McKeown, K, 1985. Text generation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McTear, M, 1985. “Breakdown and repair in naturally occurring conversation and human-computer dialogue” In: Gilbert, GN and Heath, C (eds.), Social action and artificial intelligence, Gower, Aldershot, pp 107–123.Google Scholar
Mitchell, TM, Keller, R and Kedar-Cabelli, S, 1986. “Explanation-based generalization: a unifying view” Machine Learning 1 (1) 47–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miyake, N, 1986. “Constructive interaction and the iterative process of understanding” Cognitive Science 10 151–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, J and Swartout, WR 1988. “A reactive approach to explanation”. Workshop on Explanation, AAAI '88, pp 91–94, St Paul, MN, 08, 1988.Google Scholar
Nicolosi, E, Learning, MS and Bouroujerdi, M, 1988. “The development of an explanatory system using knowledge-based models” Proceedings of the Fourth Explanation SIG, pp 173–183, Manchester, IEE.Google Scholar
O'Malley, C, 1987a. “Understanding explanation” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 137–156, Guildford, IEE.Google Scholar
O'Malley, C, 1987b. “Explanation and expectation: why ask why?” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 157–167, Guildford, IEE.Google Scholar
Ortony, A and Partridge, D, 1987. “Surprisingness and expectation failure: what's the difference?” Proceedings of the 10th IJCAI, pp 106–108, Milan.Google Scholar
Pollack, ME, Hirchberg, J and Webber, BL, 1982. “Using participation in the reasoning process of expert systems” Proceedings of the Second AAAI, pp 358–361, Pittsburgh, PA.Google Scholar
Pratt, I, 1987. “Explanatory asymmetry” Proceedings of the Third Explanation SIG, pp 168–182, Guildford, 09, 1987.Google Scholar
Ringle, MH and Bruce, BC, 1982. “Conversation failure” In: Lehnert, WG and Ringle, MH (eds.), Strategies in natural language processing, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Robinson, P, 1988. “Explaining the benefit system” Proceedings of the Fourth Explanation SIG, pp 148–159, Manchester, IEE.Google Scholar
Rogers, Y, 1988a. “Feature analysis of explanations in a variety of task domains” Proceedings of the Fourth Explanation SIG, Manchester, IEE.Google Scholar
Rogers, Y, 1988b. Personal communication.Google Scholar
Rousset, MC and Safar, B, 1987. “Negative and positive explanations in expert systems” Applied Artificial Intelligence 1 25–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sacks, H, 1972. “On the analysability of stories by children” In Turner, R (ed.), Ethnomethodology, London: Penguin, pp 216–232.Google Scholar
Sacks, H, Schegloff, E and Jefferson, G, 1974. “A simplest systematics for turn-taking in conversation” Language 50 696–735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanmugasunderam, A, Spencer, B and Cohen, R, 1988. “The ThUMS Project: implementing user specific responses to an educational diagnosis system” Research Report CS-88–25, University of Waterloo.Google Scholar
Scott, AC, Clancey, WJ, Davis, R and Shortliffe, EH, 1977. “Explanation capabilities of production-based consultation systems” American Journal of Computational Linguistics 62 201–211.Google Scholar
Shortliffe, EH, 1976. Computer-based medical consultations: MYCIN, New York: Elsevier-North Holland.Google Scholar
Sperber, D and Wilson, D, 1986. Relevance, Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Stenton, SP, 1987. “Dialogue management for cooperative knowledge based systems” Knowledge Engineering Review 2 99–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suchman, L, 1988. Plans and situated action, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Swartout, WR, 1977. “A digitalis therapy advisor with explanations” Proceedings of the 5th IJCAI, pp 819–826.Google Scholar
Swartout, WR, 1983. “XPLAIN: a system for creating and explaining expert consulting programs” Artificial Intelligence 21 285–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiner, JL, 1980. “BLAH, a system which explains its reasoning” Artificial Intelligence 11 197–223.Google Scholar