Disambiguating verbal comments in social interaction: A computer model of meaning*
Edward E. Brent, Alan Thompson, Edward J. Mirielli · Journal of Mathematical Sociology · 1995
This paper describes a computer program for disambiguating the meaning of verbal acts in social interaction. The program was implemented using artificial intelligence techniques, representing utterances by frames, designing separate agents employing procedural rules to infer values of each coding dimension, and sharing information through a blackboard. The computer algorithms are discussed and illustrated with examples, then results of an empirical test of the program are reported. A training‐set of verbal interactions among health care practitioners and patients was examined to build the program, with an independent test‐set of data used to assess program performance. On a practical level, this program offers a promising approach for computer‐assisted or even automatic coding of interaction processes, reducing coding costs and improving reliability and validity. On a theoretical level, these algorithms offer a model of how individuals disambiguate the meaning of verbal comments in social interaction, providing substantive insights into the mechanisms of social interaction.