Explanation of Quantitative Systems: A General Approach to Providing Justifications to Non-Technical Users

这个项目的目标是开发一个通用的方法来解释使用数学或其他定量的问题解决方法的建议给出系统的生成。具体目标是：（1）为这类解释开发一种通用方法;（2）在可用于不同应用的原型系统中实施这一方法;（3）为现实生活环境创建系统。 在这种解释生成方法中，第一个任务是确定解释的实质，也就是说，发现哪些量化值有助于决策过程。 第二个任务是将量化值转换为非技术用户可以理解的概念。 这项研究的意义在于发展严格的方法来执行这些任务：如何代表不同的概念“世界”的定量系统和外行用户;如何确定重要的解释因素;以及如何在两个世界之间进行翻译。 实际影响包括开发解释发电机的可能性，为“现成的”决策支持系统所使用的个人谁不熟悉的正式模型。 因此，这些系统将更容易被接受和更普遍地使用。

The goal of this project is the development of a general approach to explanation generation for advice-giving systems that use mathematical or other quantitative problem-solving methods. Specific objectives are: (1) Development of a generalized methodology for this type of explanation; (2) Implementation of this methodology in a prototype system that can be used in different applications; and (3) Creation of systems for real-life environments. In this approach to explanation generation, the first task is determining the substance of the explanation, that is, discovering which quantitative values contribute to the decision process. The second task is translating the quantitative values into concepts that are understood by the non-technical user. The significance of this research lies in the development of rigorous methods for performing these tasks: how to represent the different conceptual ``worlds'' of the quantitative system and the lay user; how to determine significant factors for explanation; and how to translate between the two worlds. Practical implications include the possibility of d eveloping explanation generators for `off-the-shelf' decision support systems used by individuals who are not familiar with the formal models. As a result, these systems would be better accepted and more generally used.