Conversation as Planned Behavior
Abstract
Perhaps the most promising working hypothesis for the study of conversation is that the participants can be viewed as using planning mechanisms much like those developed in artificial intelligence. In this paper, a framework for investigating conversation called the "Planning Approach" is developed from this hypothesis. It suggests a style of analysis that can be applied to conversation that includes the participants' goals, plans, and beliefs. The Planning Approach is described in detail in Part 2. Part 3 presents the fragment of conversation that is to be analyzed, and Part 4 focuses on the microanalysis of the free-flowing conversation as an illustration of the Planning Approach style of analysis. In the process, order is discovered in a conversation that on the surface seems quite incoherent. The microanalysis suggests ways in which the planning mechanisms common in artificial intelligence will have to be extended to deal with conversation. These computational mechanisms are discussed in Part 5. In Part 6, certain methodological difficulties are examined. Part 7 addresses the question of what constitutes successful communication.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA458827
Entities
People
- David A. Evans
- Jerry R. Hobbs
Organizations
- SRI International