How do people resolve misunderstanding in conversation through repair? Introducing a framework built on belief revision and coherence

Arkel, Jacqueline van (2021) How do people resolve misunderstanding in conversation through repair? Introducing a framework built on belief revision and coherence. Master's Thesis / Essay, Human-Machine Communication.

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Abstract

Conversational dialogue stands at the basis of communication through natural language. Nevertheless, misunderstanding can emerge due to different reasons, one of them being asymmetry between the belief systems (i.e., misaligned beliefs about the world) of the interlocutors. In order to request clarification in such situations, the interpreter can signal trouble by initiating repair with a restricted offer (e.g., by saying `At the market?'). How are people able to reduce belief asymmetry through the use of restricted offers and resolve misunderstanding? It is hypothesised that belief revision plays an important role in resolving misunderstanding through restricted offers (Golato & Betz, 2008; Koivisto, 2015). But how does this cognitive capacity of belief revision actually work? How can people use restricted offers to resolve misunderstanding in conversation? In order to investigate this, we constructed a cognitive model of the interactional and cognitive capacities involved in reducing asymmetry in the beliefs of the interlocutors through the use of restricted offers. Belief revision and coherence theory form the framework of the cognitive model. Agent-based simulations showed that the model could serve as a computational-level explanation of reducing belief asymmetry with restricted offers.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay)
Supervisor name:	Jones, S.M. and Rij-Tange, J.C. van
Degree programme:	Human-Machine Communication
Thesis type:	Master's Thesis / Essay
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	18 May 2021 08:07
Last Modified:	18 May 2021 08:07
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/24420

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