Mapping Explanation-Based Generalization onto Soar

Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 5

Volume

Science

Learning

Explanation-based generalization (EBG) is a powerful approach to concept formation in which a justifiable concept definition is acquired from a single training example and an underlying theory of how the example is an instance of the concept. Soar is an attempt to build a general cognitive architecture combining general learning, problem solving, and memory capabilities. It includes an independently developed learning mechanism, called chunking, that is similar to but not the same as explanation-based generalization. In this article we clarify the relationship between the explanation-based generalization framework and the Soar/chunking combination by showing how the EBG framework maps onto Soar, how several EBG concept-formation tasks are implemented in Soar, and how the Soar approach suggests answers to some of the outstanding issues in explanation-based generalization.