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Major Subject: Computer Science (2005)
BibTeX
@MISC{Creel05majorsubject:,
author = {James Silas Creel and Thomas Ioerger and Christopher Menzel and Donald Friesen and Valerie Taylor},
title = {Major Subject: Computer Science},
year = {2005}
}
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Abstract
Modal logics with possible worlds semantics can be used to represent mental states such as belief, goal, and intention, allowing one to formally describe the rational behavior of agents. Agent’s beliefs and goals are typically represented in these logics by primitive modal operators. However, the representation of agent’s intentions varies greatly between theories. Some logics characterize intention as a primitive operator, while others define intention in terms of more primitive con-structs. Taking the latter approach is a theory due to Philip Cohen and Hector Levesque, under which intentions are a special form of commitment or persis-tent goal. The theory has motivated theories of speech acts and joint intention and innovative applications in multiagent systems and industrial robotics. How-ever, Munindar Singh shows the theory to have certain logical inconsistencies and permit certain absurd scenarios. This thesis presents a modification of the theory that preserves the desirable aspects of the original while addressing the criticism of Singh. This is achieved by the introduction of an additional operator describing the achievement of expectations, refined assumptions, and new defi-nitions of intention. The modified theory gives a cogent account of the rational balance between agents ’ action and deliberation, and suggests the use of means-ends reasoning in agent implementations. A rule-based reasoner in Jess facilitates evaluation of the predictiveness and intuitiveness of the theory, and provides a prototypical agent based on the theory. iii
Keyphrases
major subject computer science possible world semantics multiagent system latter approach agent belief speech act agent intention varies rational behavior mental state persis-tent goal rational balance industrial robotics primitive modal operator agent implementation primitive operator modal logic cogent account joint intention hector levesque new defi-nitions rule-based reasoner primitive con-structs modified theory certain logical inconsistency special form agent action additional operator philip cohen desirable aspect permit certain absurd scenario munindar singh prototypical agent innovative application
