The Use of Knowledge Preconditions in Language Processing

TL;DR

This paper explores how knowledge preconditions influence language processing, particularly in modeling information-seeking dialogues within collaborative discourse, by formalizing axioms and analyzing subdialogues using SharedPlan models.

Contribution

It introduces an axiomatization of knowledge preconditions for SharedPlans and applies this to analyze information-seeking subdialogues in discourse processing.

Findings

Formalized axioms for knowledge preconditions in SharedPlans

Analyzed information-seeking subdialogues within a discourse framework

Linked knowledge preconditions to collaborative dialogue modeling

Abstract

If an agent does not possess the knowledge needed to perform an action, it may privately plan to obtain the required information on its own, or it may involve another agent in the planning process by engaging it in a dialogue. In this paper, we show how the requirements of knowledge preconditions can be used to account for information-seeking subdialogues in discourse. We first present an axiomatization of knowledge preconditions for the SharedPlan model of collaborative activity (Grosz & Kraus, 1993), and then provide an analysis of information-seeking subdialogues within a general framework for discourse processing. In this framework, SharedPlans and relationships among them are used to model the intentional component of Grosz and Sidner's (1986) theory of discourse structure.