The ACT theory of the learning of procedures is described. ACT is a computer simulation program that uses a propositional network to represent knowledge of general facts and a set of productions (condition action rules) to represent knowledge of procedures. There are currently four different mechanisms by which ACT can make additions and…

This report describes the principal findings and recommendations of a 2-year Rand research project on machine-aided knowledge acquisition and discusses the transfer of expertise from humans to machines, as well as the functions of planning, debugging, knowledge refinement, and autonomous machine learning. The relative advantages of humans and…

This paper begins with a description of four generations of research in machine translation: the original efforts of 1957 to 1965 and three types of surviving and sometimes competing present projects. The three types of present projects include those relying on "brute force" methods involving larger and faster computers; those based on a…

An expectation based system, NGP, for parsing English noun groups into the Conceptual Dependency representation is described. The system is a part of English Language Interpreter (ELI) which is used as the front end to several natural language understanding systems and is capable of handling a wide range of sentences of considerable complexity.…

A survey of literature on recent advances in the field of artificial intelligence provides a comprehensive introduction to this field for the non-technical reader. Important areas covered are: (1) definitions, (2) the brain and thinking, (3) heuristic search, and (4) programing languages used in the research of artificial intelligence. Some…

MLISP (meta-LISP) is a high level list-processing and symbol-manipulation language based on the programing language LISP (List Processor). MLISP programs are translated into LISP programs and then executed or compiled. MLISP exists for two purposes: (1) to facilitate the writing and understanding of LISP programs; (2) to remedy certain important…

Almost all of the published work on the philosophical question of mechanical intelligence has argued in favor of one or the other of the polarities of possible positions. It is however possible to take a position between these two extremes, those of the True Believer and the Infidel. While this agnostic position is not a strong position in the…

In the modern concept a robot is a complex automatic cybernetics system capable of executing various operations in the sphere of human activity and in various respects combining the imitative capacity of the physical and mental activity of man. They are a class of automatic information systems intended for search, collection, processing, and…

The response to the question "What next?" is a synthesis--a combination of philosophical, psychological, and linguistic scholarship with electronic and computational technologies, under the pressure of commercial requirements for improved man-computer communication. (Author/VT)

Reviews aspects of the relationship between machine learning and information retrieval. Highlights include learning programs that extend from knowledge-sparse learning to knowledge-rich learning; the role of the thesaurus; knowledge bases; artificial intelligence; weighting documents; work frequency; and merging classification structures. (78…

Graham Davies'"Using Computers in Language Learning" is a useful guide to programming languages, authoring systems, exercise formats, etc., for a teacher contemplating the use of computers for language learning. But much of text refers to British sources, and underlying assumption is that computers are best suited for mechanical drill.…

Examines the use of "expert systems": computer programs written to solve specialized problems from a particular field. Describes applications of expert systems and possibilities for expert system teaching tools. (CT)

The nature of thinking is the subject of this second part in a series which is examining various topics and issues related to the controversy of whether or not computers can think. Suggests that intelligence is the ability to develop general ideas and not the ability to apply those ideas. (JN)

Assails schools for rushing into the thinking skills approach without examining advances in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, neuropsychology, and other brain-related disciplines. Blames the classroom situation itself for forcing teachers into counterproductive, direct teaching methods that don't work. Asserts the need for…

Three programming languages--PILOT, SNOBOL, and LOGO--are described and evaluated as tools for foreign language computer-assisted instruction, and a small sample program in each language is given. A bibliography is included. (Author/SED)