Mixed-initiative Dialogue Research Articles

Method and apparatus for discourse management

The invention relates to a system for providing a dialogue enabled speech application system, more particularly to a system apparatus and method for providing a mixed-initiative dialog with a user. The invention provides a discourse manager unit utilizing a dynamic finite-state machine that allows the creation of temporary transitions to accommodate a given context of the conversation without leading to an explosion in the number of finite-state machine states. The invention is particularly useful for use in natural-dialogue speech applications in particular for allowing users to perform actions by simply providing information to the system through spoken request.

Intelligent tutoring systems with conversational dialogue

Many of the intelligent tutoring systems that have been developed during the last 20 years have proven to be quite successful, particularly in the domains of mathematics, science, and technology. They produce significant learning gains beyond classroom environments. They are capable of engaging most students' attention and interest for hours. We have been working on a new generation of intelligent tutoring systems that hold mixed-initiative conversational dialogues with the learner. The tutoring systems present challenging problems and questions to the learner, the learner types in answers in English, and there is a lengthy multiturn dialogue as complete solutions or answers evolve. This article presents the tutoring systems that we have been developing. AutoTutor is a conversational agent, with a talking head, that helps college students learn about computer literacy. andes, atlas, and why2 help adults learn about physics. Instead of being mere information-delivery systems, our systems help students actively construct knowledge through conversations.

What Do Sharable Instructional Objects Have to do With Intelligent Tutoring Systems, and Vice Versa?

By reviewing data on classroom and tutorial instruction, this article presents a perspective on the value of technology-based instruction in general and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) in particular. It finds mixed-initiative dialogue and on-demand, real-time generative capabilities to be defining functionalities of ITS. These functionalities are motivated by basic research into human learning and cognition. From this perspective, development of both the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative and ITS are viewed as parallel but presently independent activities. Their common interests in the development and availability on the World Wide Web of sharable (accessible, interoperable, durable, and reusable) instructional objects that can act as either instructional content or algorithmic agents are described and discussed. Sharable instructional objects are likely to reduce the costs and increase the effectiveness of both ADL technologies and ITS. Development of these objects should be cooperatively ...

Realization of Mixed Initiative Dialogue in Japanese VoiceXML Interpreter

Realization of Mixed Initiative Dialogue in Japanese VoiceXML Interpreter

Mixed-initiative interaction

Presents three essays about the area of mixed-initiative interaction. The first essay introduces the area and creates a useful taxonomy of mixed-initiative dialog issues. The author summarises several years' worth of research on mixed-initiative planning systems. The second essay describes the role of uncertainty in mixed-initiative interaction and describes two innovative systems for semi-automated assistance that make use of Bayesian reasoning. The final essay confronts the difficult task off evaluating such systems, including the creation of test sets and metrics for evaluating descriptive versus prescriptive dialogue models.

Exploring Mixed-Initiative Dialogue Using Computer Dialogue Simulation

This paper experimentally shows that mixed-initiative dialogue is not always more efficient than non-mixed initiative dialogue in route finding tasks. Based on the dialogue model proposed in Conversation Analysis and Discourse Analysis a la the Birmingham school and Whittaker and Stenton‘s definition of initiative, we implement dialogue systems and obtain experimental results by making the systems interact with each other. Across a variety of instantiations of the dialogue model, the results show that with easy problems, the efficiency of mixed-initiative dialogue is a little better than or equal to that of non-mixed-initiative dialogue, while with difficult problems mixed-initiative dialogue is less efficient than non-mixed- initiative dialogue.

User-Tailored Planning of Mixed Initiative Information-Seeking Dialogues

Intelligent dialogue systems usually concentrate on user support at the level of the domain of discourse, following a plan-based approach. Whereas this is appropriate for collaborative planning tasks, the situation in interactive information retrieval systems is quite different: there is no inherent plan-goal hierarchy, and users are known to often opportunistically change their goals and strategies during and through interaction. We need to allow for mixed-initiative retrieval dialogues, where the system evaluates the user‘s individual dialogue behavior and performs situation-dependent interpretation of user goals, to determine when to take the initiative and to change the control of the dialogue, e.g., to propose (new) problem-solving strategies to the user. In this article, we present the dialogue planning component of a concept- oriented, logic-based retrieval system (MIRACLE). Users are guided through the global stages of the retrieval interaction but may depart, at any time, from this guidance and change the direction of the dialogue. When users submit ambiguous queries or enter unexpected dialogue control acts, abductive reasoning is used to generate interpretations of these user inputs in light of the dialogue history and other internal knowledge sources. Based on these interpretations, the system initiates a short dialogue offering the user suitable options and strategies for proceeding with the retrieval dialogue. Depending on the user‘s choice and constraints resulting from the history, the system adapts its strategy accordingly.

An Approach to Mixed Initiative Spoken Information Retrieval Dialogue

We present an approach to mixed initiative dialogue in acoustic user interfaces to databases. First, we discuss how we distinguish between initiative and control in mixed initiative information ret...

An Analysis of Initiative Selection in CollaborativeTask-Oriented Discourse

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.

The LIMSI RailTel System: Field trial of a telephone service for rail travel information

This paper describes the RailTel system developed at LIMSI to provide vocal access to static train timetable information in French, and a field trial carried out to assess the technical adequacy of available speech technology for interactive services. The data collection system used to carry out the field trials is based on the LIMSI Mask spoken language system and runs on a Unix workstation with a high quality telephone interface. The spoken language system allows a mixed-initiative dialog where the user can provide any information at any point in time. Experienced users are thus able to provide all the information needed for database access in a single sentence, whereas less experienced users tend to provide shorter responses, allowing the system to guide them. The RailTel field trial was carried out using a common methodology defined by the consortium. 100 novice subjects participated in the field trials, each calling the system one time and completing a user questionnaire. Of the callers, 72% successfully completed their scenario. The subjective assessment of the prototype was for the most part favourable, with subjects expressing an interest in using such a service.

Field trial evaluations of two different information inquiry systems

This paper presents the evaluations of the field trials of two information inquiry systems that use different speech technologies and different human–machine interfaces. The first system, RAILTEL, uses isolated word recognition and system driven dialogue. The second system, Dialogos, understands spontaneous speech and implements a mixed initiative dialogue strategy. Both systems allow access to the Italian Railway timetable by using the telephone over the public network. RAILTEL and Dialogos were tested in extensive field trials by inexperienced subjects. Moreover, a comparative trial with a limited number of subjects was performed in order to gain some insights on the impact of the different speech technologies on users' behaviour. The paper will provide a brief description of the two systems, details of the experimental set up of the trials, and the discussion of the results.

PADIS – An automatic telephone switchboard and directory information system

The Philips automatic telephone switchboard and directory information system PADIS provides a natural-language user interface to a telephone directory database. Using speech recognition and language understanding technologies, the system offers phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and room numbers as well as direct call completion to a desired party. In this paper, we present the underlying probabilistic framework, the system architecture, and the individual modules for speech recognition, language understanding, dialogue control, and speech output. In addition, we report results on performance and user behaviour obtained from a field test in our research lab with a 600-entry database. We derive a new maximum-a-posteriori decision rule which incorporates database knowledge and dialogue history as constraints in speech recognition and language understanding. It has improved speech understanding accuracy by 19% (in terms of concept error rate), and reduced attribute substitution errors (e.g. recognition of a wrong name) by 38%. The decision rule is implemented in a multi-stage approach as a combination of state-of-the-art speech recognition, partial parsing with an attributed stochastic context-free grammar, and an N-best algorithm which is also described in this paper. The system conducts a flexible mixed-initiative dialogue rather than using a rigid form-filling scheme, and incorporates database knowledge to optimize the dialogue flow.

An agent-theoretic approach to computer participation in dialogue

There is a range of situations—for example, in the context of advice-giving or tutoring—in which a computer system might be required to take an active role in the interaction (rather than simply responding unquestioningly to the user's input). In such situations, the system must be able to decide how to respond to the user—sometimes taking the initiative and sometimes responding to the user's initiative. At any time, selecting the most appropriate response will depend on the context, and on what both system and user are aiming to achieve through the interaction. This paper presents the design and implementation of a computer-based agent that can engage a user in a mixed-initiative dialogue. In this work, the generation of language is viewed as opportunistic rational action. The computer-based agent constructs utterances in the context of the preceding dialogue, deciding what to say in the light of its own beliefs, goals and values. The prototype system has been tested with users. From the small-scale evaluation study that was conducted, it was concluded that the system is capable of engaging in extended dialogue that remains largely coherent and reasonable (at a semantic level), and that it provides a reasonable base for further work in this direction.

IDFG: An interactive applications specification model with phenomenological properties

In this paper, we present a model based on Data-Flow Graphs called Interactive Data-Flow Graph (IDFG) model. This model is used in the context of a CASE tool (SEPDS) for the specification of distributed interactive applications. Our effort was towards designing a model that would bridge the gap between designers and users perspective by providing the designers with a model that would permit them to “think in users terms”. IDFG combines elements of control and data models together with characteristics of the object oriented paradigm, adopting an action-based description of user goals. It is this focus on user actions that gives IDFG a phenomenological nature. In addition, IDFG can be combined with the underlying data model of SEPDS in a straightforward manner, enabling the prototyping of distributed interactive applications. We show that IDFG meets many of the requirements that designers have from current interactive application specification systems, such as user-specified level of abstraction of interaction specification, support of mixed-initiative dialogues, modularity and reusability of interaction. We conclude the paper by presenting a simple example of the application of IDFG and by presenting the state of our research.

Communication requirements for cooperative problem solving systems

Despite lip service that “most knowledge-based systems are intended to be of assistance to human endeavor and are almost never intended to be autonomous agents”, knowledge-based systems research has not been focused enough on the nature and the requirements of cooperative problem solving systems. The emphasis of our work is on creating computer systems to facilitate the cooperation between a human and a computer. Cooperation requires more from a system than having a nice user interface or supporting natural language dialogs. One needs a richer theory of problem solving, which analyzes the functions of shared representations, mixed-initiative dialogs, argumentation and management of trouble. Our evolving theoretical framework for this approach has led to a number of prototypical systems developments which serve as vehicles for future research. Examination of these systems provides evidence that learning and effective problem solving can be improved through the use of cooperative problem solving systems.

The Usability of Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Grace, the NYNEX COBOL tutor, is being built in a corporate environment following the philosophy of iterative design and test. Grace and the student interact in a mixed-initiative dialogue. Grace's side of the dialogue is controlled by a simulation based upon the ACT* theory of cognitive skill acquisition (Anderson, 1983, 1987b). This simulation is theory-driven and largely, but not completely, embodied in a production system architecture. The student-tutor dialogue is mediated by an interface whose design is empirically driven and embodied in a multi-media system of windows, text, hypertext, mouse gestures, menus, node selections, typing-in, and so. Construction of the simulation and the tutor interface are being tested and revised through a series of user trials. The trials are conducted at one of the sites at which the tutor will be used. Students participating in the trial are from the same population as our target audience.

Intelligent computer-aided instruction: a survey organized around system components

The issues and previous research in intelligent computer-aided instruction (ICAI) are surveyed, concentrating on the contribution of each effort to understanding the various components of ICAI systems. Comparisons are made between ICAI and CAI. Various learning scenarios are discussed including computer coaches, gaming environments, mixed initiative dialog, Socratic tutors, articulate experts, interactive simulation, and discovery learning. Various forms of knowledge representation are discussed along with relevant issues and examples. Several techniques for student modeling and diagnosis are presented, as are their respective advantages and disadvantages. Pedagogical knowledge, its role in ICAI and several examples are highlighted. The evolution of discourse-management techniques for ICAI is outlined. Techniques for the automatic generation of problems from a general base of domain knowledge are presented. The design of user interfaces for ICAI systems is briefly discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Mixed-initiative, goal-directed dialog in a fuzzy knowledge based consultant system

Expert consultant systems can be viewed as a new medium of communication between experts and users, similar in some respects to the telephone and in other respects to the printed page. Fuzzy linguistic variables and approximate reasoning offer a way to increase the expressive power of this communications medium. Recent advances in the application of these techniques allow the use of features such as goal-directed processing, mixed-initiative dialog, sophisticated user and expert interfaces, and efficient knowledge representation that have formerly been associated only with nonfuzzy expert systems.

Cooperative access systems

In the next five years we can expect to find a variety of cooperative natural language (NL) interfaces to database systems, expert systems, operating systems, CAD systems and even text formatting systems. Although the general problem of getting computers to understand NL is far from being solved, the technology for limited NL access systems is available now and there is a large growing market for such cooperative interfaces to a wide variety of software. In the first part of the paper, we illustrate the capabilities for cooperative response generation implemented in AI systems. Then we briefly review the state of the art in NL interfaces to databases and expert systems. Topics covered include user modeling, the generation of explanations, mixed initiative dialogs and knowledge acquisition via NL communication.

Query Languages: Design Recommendations Derived from the Human Factors Literature

This paper reviews the human factors literature dealing with query languages. It covers natural and formal query languages, and such specific topics as quantifiers, data organization, mixed initiative dialogues, abbreviations, experimental evaluation of query language features, and research on person-to-person communication. Also discussed are issues to consider when determining a query language's suitability. A summary of the findings, in the form of a compendium of design recommendations, is presented as a result of this review.