Originally published in 1978, The Process of Question Answering examines a phenomenon that relies on many realms of human cognition: language comprehension, memory retrieval, and language generation. Problems in computational question answering assume a new perspective when question answering is viewed as a problem in natural language processing. A theory of human question answering must necessarily entail a theory of human memory organization and theories of the cognitive processes that access and manipulate information in memory. This book describes question answering as a particular task in information processing. The theoretical models described here have been built on a formulation of general theories in natural language processing: theories about language that were developed without the specific problem of question answering in mind. By requiring programmers to be concerned with the precise form of information in memory, and the precise operations manipulating that information, they can uncover significant problems that would otherwise be overlooked. An early insight into artificial intelligence, today this reissue can be enjoyed in its historical context.
Author(s): Wendy G. Lenhart
Series: Psychology Revivals
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 292
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Original Title Page
Dedication
Original Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
1 Problems, Previews, and Programs
1.0 Introduction
1.1 What Is Hard About Answering Questions?
1.2 Where We are Going
1.3 QUALM
1.4 Computer Programs Using QUALM
2 Motivation and Background
2.0 Human Question Answering
2.1 Conceptual Dependency
2.2 Causal Chain Constructions
2.3 Understanding Stories
2.4 Scripts and Plans
2.5 Story Representations
2.6 Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Psychology
Part I: Interpretation: Understanding Questions
Introduction
Four Levels of Understanding
The Conceptual Parse
Memory Internalization
Conceptual Categorization
Inferential Analysis
3 Conceptual Categories for Questions
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Causal Antecedent
3.2 Goal Orientation
3.3 Enablement
3.4 Causal Consequent
3.5 Verification
3.6 Disjunctive
3.7 Instrumental/Procedural
3.8 Concept Completion
3.9 Expectational
3.10 Judgmental
3.11 Quantification
3.12 Feature Specification
3.13 Request
3.14 The Question Analyzer
4 Recategorizing Questions by Inferential Analysis
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Contextual Inferences
4.2 Context-Independent Inferences
4.3 Knowledge-State-Assessment Inferences
Part II: Memory Searches: Finding An Answer
Introduction
Deciding How To Answer a Question
Carrying Out Orders
Answering Better by Understanding More
Generation into English
5. Content Specification
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Intentionality
5.2 Elaboration Options
5.3 Category-Trace Instructions
5.4 Elaborating Upon Elaboration Options
6 Searching Memory
6.0 Introduction
6.1 Causal Antecedent
6.2 Goal Orientation
6.3 Enablement
6.4 Causal Consequent
6.5 Verification
6.6 Disjunctive
6.7 Instrumental/Procedural
6.8 Concept Completion
6.9 Expectational
6.10 Judgmental
6.11 Quantification
6.12 Feature Specification
6.13 Concluding Remarks on Retrieval Heuristics
7 Focus Establishment
7.0 Introduction
7.1 Different Kinds of Focus
7.2 When Focus Is Established
7.3 A Script-Based Focus Heuristic
8 Understanding What Did Not Happen
8.0 Introduction
8.1 Aroused Expectations
8.2 Violated Expectations
8.3 Answering Questions About Expectations
8.4 Answering Questions About Possibilities
8.5 Classification of Expectational Questions
8.6 Script-Based Expectations
8.7 How to Remember Things You Forgot
9 Finding the Best Answer
9.0 Introduction
9.1 Answer-Selection Model
9.2 Going Beyond Answer Selection
9.3 Looking Inside MBUILDs
9.4 Concluding Remarks
10 Conceptual Primitives for Physical Objects
10.0 Introduction
10.1 Object Primitives
10.2 Applications for Object Primitives
10.3 Conclusions
11 More Problems
11.0 Preface
11.1 Consistency Checks
11.2 Modeling Knowledge States
11.3 Conversation Theory
11.4 What Every Lawyer Should Know
11.5 General Q/A
12 Perspective and Conclusions
12.0 Preface
12.1 Other Q/A Systems
12.2 Summary
References
Author Index
Subject Index
