Paper describes a method of analysing information based on theories about the way in which human beings tackle this problem. (Author)

EASY ENGLISH IS A NATURAL COMMAND LANGUAGE DESIGNED TO SIMPLIFY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE THROUGH A REMOTE TYPEWRITER CONSOLE. IT IS MADE UP OF READILY RECONIZED SENTENCES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, SENTENCES WHICH ANY LAYMAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO USE IN EVERYDAY REQUESTS FOR SERVICES OR ARTICLES FROM A FAMILIAR SOURCE. EASY ENGLISH WAS…

Reported are the findings of the Uspekhi experiment in creating a labeled machine file, as well as sample products of this system - an article from a scientific journal and an index page. Production cost tables are presented for the machine file, primary journals, and journal indexes. Comparisons were made between the 1965 predicted costs and the…

This report describes for the potential user a set of procedures for processing textual materials on-line. In this preliminary model an information analyst can scan through messages, reports, and other documents on a display scope and select relevant facts, which are processed linguistically and then stored in the computer in the form of logical…

The potentialities of specialized languages, in comparison to those of other types of specialized systems, are discussed. The point is made that these languages have been invented by information processing professionals in order to assist the problem-solving activities of computer users by providing them with appropriate interfaces to the…

This report describes the development of computer programs called user agents, which, through interaction with users, can either learn new facts and store them in a data base or learn new procedures for data manipulation and represent them as programs. These programs are written in RITA, the Rule-directed Interactive Transaction Agent system, and…

In contrast to conventional information storage and retrieval systems in which a body of knowledge is thought of as an indexed codex of documents to which access is obtained by an appropriately indexed query, this interdisciplinary study aims at an understanding of what is "knowledge" as distinct from a "data file," how this knowledge is acquired,…

BALLOTS (Bibliographic Automation of Large Library Operations using a Time-sharing System) is an on-line interactive library automation system that supports the acquisition and cataloging functions of the Stanford University Libraries' technical processing operations. The BALLOTS system is being implemented in a series of 11 modules. This paper…

Feasibility study findings indicate that a potential reduction in drudgery for the scholar may be obtained through a combination of heretofore divergent solutions to the increasingly critical problem of how researchers will interface with computers for an efficient and effective review of the literature. Presently existing computer software…

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…

A question answering system which permits a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) student greater initiative in the variety of questions he can ask is described. A method is presented to represent the dynamic processes of a subject matter area by augmented finite state automata, which permits efficient inferencing about dynamic processes and…

The trend toward on-line utilization of computers in recent years has included the emergence of computer support systems to fill the information processing needs of individuals engaged in scientific research. In this study, a new approach to document description is applied to the design of a personal information storage and retrieval system,…

The results of the second 18 months (December 15, 1968-June 30, 1970) of effort toward developing an Information Processing Laboratory for research and education in library science is reported in six volumes. This volume contains: the basic on-line interchange, DISCUS operations, programming in DISCUS, concise DISCUS specifications, system author…

IN GENERAL, PROBLEM SOLUTIONS CAN BE FOUND ALONG A CONTINUUM OF ABSTRACTION FROM THE SPECIFIC TO THE GENERAL. THERE IS, AT ANY GIVEN POINT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOLUTION, A MOST EFFICIENT OR OPTIMUM STRATEGY. IN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS USUALLY OBTAINED, AT A MORE SPECIFIC RATHER THAN AT A MORE ABSTRACT LEVEL. THE…