Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An Analysis of Initiative Selection in Collaborative Task-Oriented Discourse

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

Abstract

In this paper we propose a number of principles and conjectures for mixed-initiative collaborative dialogs. We explore some methodologies for managing initiative between conversational participants. We mathematically analyze specific initiative-changing mechanisms based on a probabilistic knowledge base and user model. We look at the role of negotiation in managing initiative and quantify how the negotiation process is useful toward modifying user models. Some experimental results using computer–computer simulations are presented along with some discussion of how such studies are useful toward building human–computer systems.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Biermann, A., Guinn, C., Fulkerson, M., Keim, G., Liang, Z., Melamed, D. and Rajagopalan, K.: 1997, Goal-oriented multimedia dialogue with variable initiative. In: Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium on Methodologies for Intelligent Systems (ISMIS-97), pp. 1-16.

  • Biermann, A., Guinn, C., Hipp, D. and Smith, R.: 1993, Efficient collaborative discourse: A theory and its implementation. In: Proceedings of the ARPA Human Language Technology Workshop.

  • Bledsoe, W. W.: 1977, Non-resolution theorem proving. Artificial Intelligence 9, 1-35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bobrow, D., Kaplan, R., Kay, M., Norman, D., Thompson, H. and Winograd, T.: 1977, GUS, A frame driven dialog system. Artificial Intelligence 8, 155-173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. S., Burton, R. R. and Zydbel, F.: 1973, A model-driven question-answering system for mixed-initiative computer-assisted instruction. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics SMC-3(3), 248-257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calistri-Yeh, R. J.: 1993, Knowledge requirements for human-computer collaboration. Human-Computer Collaboration: Reconciling Theory, Synthesizing Practice, Papers from the 1993 Fall Symposium Series, AAAI Technical Report FS-93-05.

  • Carletta, J.: 1992, Planning to fail, not failing to plan: Risk-taking and recovery in task-oriented dialogue. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computational Linguistics (COLING-92). Nantes, France, 896-900.

  • Chin, D.: 1989, KNOME: Modeling what the user knows in UC. In: A. Kobsa and W. Wahlster (eds.): User Models in Dialog Systems. New York: Springer-Verlag, 74-107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chu-Carroll, J. and Brown, M. K.: 1998, An EvidentialModel for Tracking Initiative in Collaborative Dialogue Interactions. In this issue.

  • Clancey, W.: 1979, Dialogue management for rule-based tutorials. In: Proceedings of the 6th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. 155-161.

  • Clocksin, W. and Mellish, C.: 1987, Programming in Prolog. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, third edition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, R., Allaby, C., Combaa, C., Fitzgerald, M., Ho, B., Hui, C., Latulipe, F., Lu, F., Pooley, D., Qian, A. and Siddiqi, S.: 1998, What is initiative? In this issue.

  • Conry, S. E. and Meyer, R. A.: 1993. Conflict management in distributed problem solving. In: Klein, M. (ed.) Computational Models of Conflict Management in Cooperative Problem Solving, Workshop Proceedings from the 13th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Chambery, France.

  • Erman, L., Hayes-Roth, F., Lesser, V. and Reddy, D.: 1980, The Hearsay-II speech-understanding system: Integrating knowledge to resolve uncertainty. ACM Computing Surveyspp. 213-253.

  • Fikes, R. and Nilsson, N. J.: 1971, STRIPS: a new approach to the application of theorem proving to problem solving. Artificial Intelligence 2, 189ff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fink, P. and Bierman, A.: 1986, The Correction of ill-formed input using history-based expectation with applications to speech understanding. Computational Linguistics 12(1), 13-36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grosz, B. J.: 1978, Discourse analysis. In: D. Walker (ed.): Understanding Spoken Language. New York, NY: Elsevier, North-Holland, Chapt. IX, 235-268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guinn, C.: 1993, Conflict resolution in collaborative discourse. In: Computational Models of Conflict Management in Cooperative Problem Solving, Workshop Proceedings from the 13th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Chambery, France.

  • Guinn, C. I.: 1994, Metal-Dialogue Behaviors: Improving the Efficiency of Human-Machine Dialogue - A Computational Model for Variable Initiative and Negotiation in Collaborative Problem-Solving. Ph.D. thesis, Duke University.

  • Guinn, C. I.: 1995, The role of computer-computer dialogues in human-computer dialogue system development. AAAI Spring Symposium on Empirical Methods in Discourse Interpretation and Generation, Technical Report SS-95-06, AAAI Press, pp. 47-52.

  • Guinn, C. I. and Montoya, R. J.: 1997 Natural language processing in virtual reality environments. 19th Interservice/Industry Training Systems and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).

  • Hagen, E.: 1999, An Approach to Mixed Initiative Spoken Information Retrieval Dialogue. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction 9(1-2).

  • Hendrix, G., Sacerdoti, E., Sagalowicz, D. and Slocum, J.: 1978, Developing a natural language interface to complex data. ACM Transactions on Database Systems105-147.

  • Hipp, D.: 1992, A New Technique for Parsing Ill-formed Spoken Natural-language Dialog. Ph.D. thesis, Duke University.

  • Korf, R.: 1987, Planning as search: A quantitative approach. Artificial Intelligence 33, 65-88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, L. and Carberry, S.: 1992, Modeling negotiation subdialogues. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics193-200.

  • McRoy, S.: 1993, Misunderstanding and the negotiation of meaning. Human-Computer Collaboration: Reconciling Theory, Synthesizing Practice, Papers from the 1993 Fall Symposium Series, AAAI Technical Report FS-93-05, AAAI Press, pp. 57-62.

  • Mudler, J. and Paulus, E.: 1988, Expectation-based speech recognition. In: H. Niemann, M. Lang, and G. Sagerer (eds.): Recent Advances in Speech Understanding and Dialog Systems. NewYork: Springer-Verlag, 473-477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newell, A. and Simon, H.: 1972, Human Problem-Solving. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson, N. J.: 1971, Problem-solving Methods in Artificial Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, R.: 1979, The Organization of Purposeful Dialogues. Linguistics 17.

  • Rich, E.: 1979, User Modeling via Stereotypes. Cognitive Science 3, 329-354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sacerdoti, E. D.: 1977, A Structure for Plans and Behavior. New York: North Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shortliffe, E. H.: 1976, Computer-Based Medical Consultations. New York, NY: Elsevier Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidner, C.L.: 1993, The Role of Negotiation in Collaborative Activity. Human-Computer Collaboration: Reconciling Theory, Synthesizing Practice, Papers from the 1993 Fall Symposium Series, AAAI Technical Report FS-93-05, AAAI Press, pp. 59-92.

  • Smith, R.: 1991, A Computational Model of Expectation-Driven Mixed-Initiative Dialog ProcessingPh.D. thesis, Duke University.

  • Smith, R.: 1992, Integration of domain problem solving with natural language dialog: The missing axiom theory. In: Proceedings of Applications of AI X: Knowledge-Based Systems.270-278.

  • Smith, R. and Hipp, D.: 1995, Spoken Natural Language Dialog Systems: A Practical Approach. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R., Hipp, D. and Biermann, A.: 1992, A dialog control algorithm and its performance. In: Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Applied Natural Language Processing, pp. 9-16.

  • Walker, M. and Whittaker, S.: 1990, Mixed initiative in dialogue: An investigation into discourse segmentation. In: Proceedings of the 28th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics70-78.

  • Walker, M. A.: 1993, Informational Redundancy and Resource Bounds in Dialogue. Ph.D. thesis, University of Pennsylvania.

  • Whittaker, S. and Stenton, P.: 1988, Cues and control in expert-client dialogues. In: Proceedings of the 26th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics123-130.

  • Wilensky, R.: 1983, Planning and Understanding: A Computational Approach to Human Reasoning.Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, Massachusetts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wos, L., Overbeek, R., Lusk, E. and Boyle, J.: 1984, Automated Reasoning: Introduction and Applications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, S., Hauptmann, A., Ward, W., Smith, E. and Werner, P.:1989, High level knowleldge sources in usable speech recognition systems. Communications of the ACM, pp. 183-194.

  • Young, S. and Proctor, C.: 1989, The design and implementation of dialogue control in voice operated database inquiry systems. Computer Speech and Language 3, 329-353.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Triangle Institute, USA

    Curry I. Guinn

Authors
  1. Curry I. Guinn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Guinn, C.I. An Analysis of Initiative Selection in Collaborative Task-Oriented Discourse. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction 8, 255–314 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008359330641

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008359330641

Search

Navigation