This is a progress report on a project attempting to design a system of compacting text for storage appropriate to disc oriented demand searching. After noting a number of previously designed methods of compression, it offers a tentative solution which couples a dictionary of most frequent character-strings with a set of variable-length codes. The…

The computer language FOL is intended to facilitate the implementation of file organizations for information storage and retrieval systems. In many information storage and retrieval applications the designer, initially, does not know how best to organize a data base for efficient retrieval and ease of updating and modifying. It is felt that FOL…

This report describes several of the design decisions underlying ACT, a production system model of human cognition. ACT can be considered a high level computer programming language as well as a theory of the cognitive mechanisms underlying human information processing. ACT design decisions were based on both psychological and artificial…

Describes the IV + V System, a software package designed by the Institut fur Maschinelle Dokumentation for the United Nations General Information Programme and UNISIST to support automation of local information and documentation services. Principle program features and functions outlined include input/output, databank, text image, output, and…

A computer-based system, called the FLOW system, was used in experimental studies of human learning. The student learns a simple computer language from printed instructions and can run his programs interactively on the FLOW system. An automated tutor simulates a human tutor who watches over the student and gives help when the student has…

A major obstacle to the effective educational use of computers is the lack of a natural means of communication between the student and the computer. This report describes a technique for generating such natural language front-ends for advanced instructional systems. It discusses: (1) the essential properties of a natural language front-end, (2)…

This article provides a tutorial introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) research for those involved in Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI). The general theme is that much of the current work in AI, particularly in the areas of natural language understanding systems, rule induction, programming languages, and socratic systems, has important…

The goal of this project was to find ways of enhancing the efficiency of searching machine readable data bases. Ways are sought to transfer to the computer some of the tasks that are normally performed by the user, i.e., to further automate information retrieval. Four experiments were conducted to test the feasibility of a sequential processing…

An interactive assessment system which was built around an existing computer controlled testing facility in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington is described. The Extensible Multiprograming System for experimental psychology (EMPP) is problem oriented software developed to simplify the programing of psychological…

The image generator function and author language software support for the CHARGE (Color Halftone Area Graphics Environment) Interactive Graphics System are described. Designed initially for use in computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems, the CHARGE Interactive Graphics System can provide graphic displays for various applications including…