Introductory Remarks
The
chapter reproduced below continues the research focus on ways
in which to postpone and otherwise control planning decisions.
The planners examined to this point all required that complete
knowledge be available at the start of the planning process.
However, in many real world contexts knowledge relevant to the
plan under consideration may not be available when planning is
initiated but may become available later. What are some of the
mechanisms that might allow a planning process to postpone planning
decisions when the knowledge is unavailable, yet be capable of
resuming the postponed aspect of the planning process when the
information does become available? The research reported below
was concerned with this and related issues.
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Partial Provisional Planning:
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Some Aspects of
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Commonsense Planning
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Charles F. Schmidt
Department of Psychology
and Laboratory for Computer Science Research
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey
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1 Introduction
Consider the following somewhat
idealized example of the kind of planning that you and I do in
pursuing the mundane goals of our everyday lives.
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Goal: A recently acquired print, already framed
in an aluminum frame, is to be hung on the north wall of my living
room between the left corner of the wall and the window.
Planned Action: Hang the framed picture in the aforementioned
general location.
Subgoal: Picture wire is needed across the back of the
picture to support it
when hung.
Planned Action: String the wire through supports on frame
and wrap wire.
Default assumption: This type of metallic frame already
has supports provided for the wire.
Subgoal: A support embedded in the wall is needed.
Analysis: Type of support depends on type of wall material.
Wall material is unknown, and covered with wallpaper.
Default assumption: This house was built within the past
10 years; therefore the wall material is probably wallboard.
Analysis: Support can be safely embedded in wallboard
using plastic anchors. Plastic anchors accept a screw of matching
diameter.
Planned action: Embed screw in plastic anchor in wall.
Subgoal: Obtain a plastic anchor.
Analysis: Do I have an unused plastic anchor.
Fact: Someone, self or other, recently purchased plastic
anchors for use in hanging some other pictures. |
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227 |
| In
J. R. Hobbs & R. C. Moore (Eds.) Formal theories of the
commonsense world.Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1985. |