Possible futures for the world of mainframe computers can be forecast through studies identifying forces of change and their impact on current trends. Some new prospects for the future have been generated by advances in information technology; for example, recent United States successes in applied artificial intelligence (AI) have created new…

This paper draws from several disciplines to provide a foundation for making progress toward a unified conception of thinking in science education. Areas covered include: (1) the philosophy of science (discussing contextual realism); (2) cognitive psychology (describing development of scientific thinking skills); and (3) artificial intelligence…

This paper addresses the characteristics and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) as a subsection of computer science, and briefly describes the most common types of AI programs: expert systems, natural language, and neural networks. Following a brief presentation of the historical background, the discussion turns to an explanation of how…

A study to determine how three advanced technologies might be applied to the needs of special education students helped inspire the development of a new method for identifying such applications. This new method, named the "Hybrid Approach," combines features of the two traditional methods: technology-push and demand-pull. Technology-push…

Presented is an introduction to the operation and mechanics of the ACTP production system, a version of Anderson's (1976) ACT system. ACTP is already in use modeling geometry theorem proving and counting of a set of objects, and has been identified as a potentially useful programing framework for developing models of the cognitive processes used…

This annual report of the Department of Computer and Information Science at Ohio State University for July 1977-June 1978 covers the department's organizational structure, objectives, highlights of department activities (such as grants and faculty appointments), instructional programs/course offerings, and facilities. In the second half of the…

This selective bibliography of recent publications by Rand researchers in the Information Processing Systems research program includes only those papers concerned with the broad range of topics in cognitive science. These topics include the modeling of complex human behavior, the construction of intelligent computer systems, and the representation…

Computer coaching of students as an aid in problem-solving instruction is discussed. This report describes an advanced form of computer-assisted instruction that must not only present the material to be taught, but also analyze the student's responses. The program must decide whether to intervene and how much to say to a pupil based on its…

This paper discusses the theoretical problem of matching and abstraction of concepts as the processes occur in human minds, and the structures used to represent these processes for use in automated, knowledge based systems. A basic premise of the paper is that hierarchies play a crucial role in structuring knowledge and in solving problems. Data…

The goal of the present project was to identify the types of knowledge necessary and useful for competent troubleshooting/debugging and to examine how new approaches to formal instruction might influence the attainment of competence by students. The research focused on the role of general strategies in troubleshooting/debugging, and how they might…

One aspect of tutoring skill for technical subjects is individualized, adaptive sequencing of the problems given to students as learning exercises. A Curriculum Information Network (CIN) describes the relationships between the problems in a CAI curriculum and the concepts and skills that they are intended to teach. It is a basis for selecting…

People use a variety of plausible, but uncertain inferences to answer questions about which their knowledge is incomplete. Such inferential thinking and reasoning is being incorporated into the SCHOLAR computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system. Socratic tutorial techniques in CAI systems such as SCHOLAR are described, and examples of their…

An attempt was made to develop human-like behavior in the computer. A theory of the human learning process was described. A computer game was presented which simulated the human capabilities of reasoning and learning. The program was required to make intelligent decisions based on past experiences and critical analysis of the present situation.…

Frame-oriented computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems dominate the field, but these mechanized programed texts utilize the computational power of the computer to a minimal degree and are difficult to modify. Newer, generative CAI systems which are supplied with a knowledge of subject matter can generate their own problems and solutions, can…

This state of the art paper on CBI considers problems facing the development of CBI, and offers suggestions on how practitioners can strengthen its impact in education through research in artificial intelligence and related areas of human motivation and learning theory, as well as innovative techniques in human-machine interfacing. (RAO)