Skip to main content
Log in

Using dynamic user models in the recognition of the plans of the user

  • Published:
User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper is concerned with information-seeking dialogues in a restricted domain (we consider a consultation system for a Computer Science Department, delivering information about the various tasks that the users may want to perform: for example, how to access the library, get information about the courses of the Department, etc.) and presents a framework where a plan recognition and a user modeling component are integrated to cooperate in the task of identifying the user's plans and goals. The focus of the paper is centered on the techniques used for building the user model and exploiting it in the determination of the user's intentions. For this task, we use stereotypes and we propose some inference rules for expanding the user model by inferring the user's beliefs from both the sentences s/he utters and the information stored in the plan library of the system, that describes the actions in the domain. Moreover, we introduce some disambiguation rules that are applied to the information in the user model for restricting the set of ambiguous hypotheses on the user's plans and goals to the most plausible ones. This also simplifies a further clarification dialogue if it is necessary for a precise identification of the user's intentions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, J. F. and C. R. Perrault: 1980, ‘Analyzing intention in utterances’.Artificial Intelligence 15, 143–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. R.: 1983, ‘Recognizing intentions from natural language utterances’. In: M. Brady and R. C. Berwick (eds.):Computational models of discourse. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 107–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardissono, L., L. Lesmo, P. Pogliano and P. Terenzani: 1991, ‘Representation of determiners in natural language’. In:Proc. 12th IJCAI. Sydney, pp. 997–1002.

  • Ardissono, L., L. Lesmo, A. Lombardo and D. Sestero: 1993a, ‘Production of cooperative answers on the basis of partial knowledge in information-seeking dialogues’. In:Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence n. 728: Advances in Artificial Intelligence. Berlin: Springer Verlag, pp. 254–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardissono, L., A. Lombardo and D. Sestero: 1993b, ‘A flexible approach to cooperative response generation in information-seeking dialogues’. In:Proc. 31st Annual Meeting ACL. Columbus, pp. 274–276.

  • Brajnik, G. and C. Tasso: 1994, ‘A shell for developing non-monotonic user modeling systems’.Int. Journal of Human-Computer Studies 40, 31–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahour, B.: 1992, ‘How do experts categorize the interlocutor during consultation dialogues?’. In:Proc. 3rd Int. Workshop on User Modeling. Wadern, pp. 84–93.

  • Calistri-Yeh, R. J.: 1991, ‘Utilizing user models to handle ambiguity and misconceptions in robust plan recognition’.User Modeling and User-Adopted Interaction 1, 289–322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carberry, S.: 1988, ‘Modeling the user's plans and goals’.Computatoinal Linguistics 14, 23–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carberry, S.: 1990a, ‘Incorporating default inferences into plan recognition’. In:Proc. 8th Conf. AAAI. Boston, pp. 471–478.

  • Carberry, S.: 1990b,Plan Recognition in Natural Language Dialogue. ACL-MIT Press.

  • Charniak, E. and R. Goldman: 1991, ‘A probabilistic model of plan recognition’. In:Proc. 9th Conf. AAAI. Anaheim, CA, USA, pp. 14–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin, D. N.: 1988, ‘User models and discourse models’.Computatoinal Linguistics 14, 86–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chin, D. N.: 1989, ‘KNOME: Modeling what the user knows in UC’. In: A. Kobsa and W. Wahlster (eds.):User models in dialog systems. Springer Verlag.

  • Cohen, P. R. and H. Levesque: 1990, ‘Intention is choice with commitment’.Artificial Intelligence 42, 213–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R.: 1988, ‘On the relationship between user models and discourse models’.Computational Linguistics 14, 88–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiEugenio, B. and L. Lesmo: 1987, ‘Representation and interpretation of determiners in natural language’. In:Proc. 10th IJCAI. Milano, pp. 648–653.

  • Eller, R. M. and S. Carberry: 1992, ‘A meta-rule approach to flexible plan recognition in dialogue’.User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction 2, 27–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grosz, B. J. and C. L. Sidner: 1986, ‘Attention, intentions, and the structure of discourse’.Computational Linguistics 12, 175–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jameson, A.: 1992, ‘Generalizing the double-stereotype approach: A psychological perspective’. In:Proc. 3rd Int. Workshop on User Modeling. Wadern, pp. 69–83.

  • Kaplan, S. J.: 1982, ‘Cooperative responses from a portable natural language query system’.Artificial Intelligence 19, 165–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kass, R. and T. Finin: 1987, ‘Rules for the implicit acquisition of knowledge about the user’. In:Proc. 6th Conf. AAAI. Seattle, pp. 295–300.

  • Kass, R. and T. Finin: 1988, ‘Modeling the user in natural language systems’.Computational Linguistics 3(14), 5–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kass, R.: 1991, ‘Building a user model implicitly from a cooperative advisory dialog’.User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction 3(1), 203–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kautz, H. A. and J. F. Allen: 1986, ‘Generalized plan recognition’. In:Proc. 5th COnf. AAAI. Philadelphia, pp. 32–37.

  • Kautz, H.: 1990, ‘A circumscriptive theory of plan recognition’. In: P. R. Cohen, J. Morgan and M. E. Pollack (eds.):Intentions in communication. MIT Press, pp. 105–133.

  • Kobsa, A.: 1988, ‘User models and discourse models: United they stand...’.Computational Linguistics 14, 91–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobsa, A.: 1990, ‘Modeling the user's conceptual knowledge in BGP-MS, a user modeling shell system’.Computational Intelligence 6, 193–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konolige, K. and M. E. Pollack: 1989, ‘Ascribing plans to agents. Preliminary report’. In:Proc. 11th IJCAI. Detroit, MI, pp. 924–930.

  • Lambert, L. and S. Carberry: 1991, ‘A tripartite plan-based model of dialogue’. In:Proc. 29th Annual Meeting ACL. Berkely, pp. 47–54.

  • Lesmo, L. and P. Terenziani: 1988, ‘Interpretation of noun-phrases in intensional contexts’. In:Proc. Coling Budapest. Budapest, pp. 378–383.

  • McArthur, G. L.: 1988, ‘Reasoning about knowledge and belief: a survey’.Computatoinal Intelligence 4, 223–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morik, K.: 1989, ‘User models and conversational settings: Modeling the user's wants’. In: A. Kobsa and W. Wahlster (eds.):User models in dialog systems. Springer Verlag.

  • Ng, H. T. and R. J. Mooney: 1990, ‘On the role of coherence in abductive explanation’. In:Proc. 8th Conf. AAAI. Boston.

  • Paris, C. L.: 1988, ‘Tailoring object descriptions to a user's level of expertise’.Computational Linguistics 14(3), 64–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollack, M. E.: 1990, ‘Plans as complex mental attitudes’. In: P. R. Cohen, J. Morgan and M. E. Pollack (eds.):Intentions in communication. MIT Press, pp. 77–103.

  • Raskutti, B. and I. Zukerman: 1991, ‘Generation and selection of likely interpretations during plan recognition in task-oriented consultation systems’.User Modeling and User-Adapted Interactions 1, 323–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raskutti, B. and I. Zukerman: 1994, ‘Query and response generation during information-seeking interactions’. In:Proc. 4th Conf. on User Modeling. Hyannis, MA, pp. 25–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rich, E.: 1979, ‘User modelling via stereotypes’.Cognitive Science 3, 329–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stickel, M. E.: 1988, ‘A prolog-like inference system for computing minimum-cost abductive explanations in natural-language interpretation’. In:Proc. Int. Computer Science Conference. Hong Kong.

  • Van Beek, P. and R. Cohen: 1991, ‘Resolving plan ambiguity for cooperative response generation’. In:Proc. 12th IJCAI. Sydney, pp. 938–944.

  • Van Beek, P., R. Cohen and K. Schmidt: 1993, ‘From plan critiquing to clarification dialogue for cooperative response generation’.Computational Intelligence 9, 132–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahlster, W. and A. Kobsa: 1989, ‘User models in dialog systems’, In: A. Kobsa and W. Wahlster (eds.):User Models in Dialog Systems. Springer Verlag, pp. 4–34.

  • Wahlster, W.: 1988, ’Distinguishing user models from discourse models’.Computational Linguistics 14, 101–103.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ardissono, L., Sestero, D. Using dynamic user models in the recognition of the plans of the user. User Model User-Adap Inter 5, 157–190 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01099760

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01099760

Key words

Navigation