Strategy grammars an approach to generality in computer simulation of human reasoning
Stellan Ohlsson · 1980
The concept of a strategy grammar is introduced as one of several possible approaches to the problem of how to express properties which recur over many simulation programs induced from think-aloud protocols. An example of such a grammar is presented which is capable of generating several specific simulation programs which have been verified against human data. It turns out that additional programs, not corresponding to any observed subject, can be derived from the grammar. If the grammar is interpreted as a theory, such derivations correspond to predictions about which strategies people will be found to use in a particular task domain. Also, it is shown that not all programs found in human data can be derived from the particular grammar shown. Thus, a strategy grammar can categorize subjects with respect to their problem solving strategies. Other approaches to the same problem are briefly commented upon.