Goal-based Decision Making

Chapter 3

Goals

Chapter Summary

We expand the goal taxonomy of Schank and Abelson to include fifteen types of goals. We next present fifteen features or dimensions useful for characterizing goals. We discuss the use of importance in comparing goals and deciding between goals. We suggest that importance provides a principled alternative to the use of scales in cognitive modeling. We review the phenomenon of goal conflict, and suggest that goal conflict is inevitable and naturally gives rise to assigning importance to goals. We discuss the need for knowledge of stereotypical or default goals for various types of agents. We suggest that functional objects, such as automobiles and computers, have stereotypical goals associated with their use.