Explore Conceptual Dependency (CD) : Theory Components and Practical Applications !!

Abstract:

Conceptual Dependency (CD) theory is a model for understanding natural language that's used in artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It was introduced by Roger Schank at Stanford University in 1969. 

 

CD theory's goals include: 

 

Revealing hidden meaning: CD theory can help reveal the hidden meaning behind a sentence. 

 

Making meaning independent of words: CD theory's representation of a sentence is based on conceptual primitives, rather than the words in the sentence itself. This means that the meaning of a sentence is independent of the words used to express it. 

 

Making inference easier: CD theory can help make the process of inferring meaning from text easier. 

 

Creating tools for translation: CD theory can help create tools for translating between languages. 

 

CD theory represents sentences as a series of diagrams that depict actions using both abstract and physical situations. 

Keywords:

Conceptual Dependency (CD), Understanding Natural Language, Making Inference, 

Learning Outcomes

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following :

1. What's Conceptual Dependency in AI?

2. Why Conceptual Dependency is important?

3. What's the elements of Conceptual Dependency?

4. What's the characteristics of Conceptual Dependency?

5. How do Conceptual Dependency in AI work?

6. What's the main components of Conceptual Dependency?

7. How to construct Conceptual Dependency?

8. Where Conceptual Dependency has Applications?

9. What's the advantages of Conceptual Dependency?

10. What's the disadvantages of Conceptual Dependency?

11 . Conclusions

12. FAQs

References

1. What's Conceptual Dependency in AI?

Conceptual dependency (CD) is a model that represents natural language understanding in artificial intelligence (AI) systems. It was developed by Roger Schank at Stanford University in the 1960s. CD uses a limited number of concepts and rules to represent natural language statements. The goal of CD is to make the meaning of a sentence independent of the words used, so that two sentences with the same meaning have the same representation. 

 

Here are some characteristics of CD: 

 

Representation

CD uses a series of diagrams to represent sentences, depicting actions in both real and abstract situations. 

 

Primitives

CD uses conceptual primitives to represent the meaning of sentences, rather than the words themselves. 

 

Goals

CD's goals include helping to draw inferences from sentences and providing a general model for knowledge representation. 

 

Challenges

However, CD can be difficult to use to construct original sentences or represent complex actions. 

 

2. Why Conceptual Dependency is important?

Conceptual Dependency (CD) theory is important because it helps computers understand natural language and draw logical inferences from text: 

 

Meaning independent of words: CD theory's goal is to make the meaning of a sentence independent of the words used in the input. This means that two sentences with the same meaning will have the same representation. 

 

Draw inferences: CD theory helps computers draw inferences from text. 

 

General model for knowledge representation: CD theory provides a general model for representing knowledge. 

 

CD theory was developed by Roger Schank of Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s. It uses conceptual primitives to represent the meaning of sentences, rather than the words in the sentence. These primitives include real world objects, actions, times, and locations. 

 

However, CD theory does have some limitations, including:

It can be difficult to construct original sentences from CD representations.

It can be difficult to represent complex actions without using many primitives. 

It can be summarised that, the goals of this theory are:

• To help in the drawing of inference from sentences.
• To be independent of the words used in the original input.
• That is to say: For any 2 (or more) sentences that are identical in meaning there should be only one representation of that meaning.

 

3. What's the rules of Conceptual Dependency?

Rules of Conceptual Dependency It extracts and clarifies the sentence's underlying notion. It facilitates deriving conclusions from sentences. For every combination of two or more meaningless statements. There should only be one interpretation of the message. It offers a language-independent method of representation. It creates packages for language conversion. Rule 1: The Rules of Conceptual Dependency explains the connection between an actor and the action they take. Rule 2: It explains the purportedly described link between PP and PA. Example:(PP->PA) Rules of Conceptual Dependency: TRANS (Transfer of abstract relationship): PP Agent (AG): John Object (OB): Book Recipient (RE): Mary PA (Subsequent Action) INGEST (Taking things into the body) is a reading metaphor. The Agent (AG): Malini  Object (OB): Book Rule 3: It explains the connection between two PPs, one of which is a member of the set that the other has specified. Rule 4: It explains how a PP and a characteristic that has previously been predicated on it relate to each other. Rule 5: It explains how two PPs are related to one another and how one PP gives specific information about the other. Rule 6: It explains the connection between an ACT and the PP to which it is intended to be applied. Rule 7: Explain the link that exists between an ACT, its source, and its recipient. Rule 8: Explain the connection between an ACT and the instrument used to perform it. This tool should never be limited to a single tangible item, but rather require a whole idea. Rule 9: explains the connection between an ACT's physical origin and destination. Rule 10: It depicts the connection between a PP and the states in which it began and finished. Rule 11: It illustrates the connection between the conceptualizations that lead to it. Rule 12: It illustrates the connection between the moment the event was recounted and how it was conceptualised. Rule 13: It explains how one conceptualization and another relate to one another, i.e., the initial conception. Rule 14: It portrays the connection between conceptualization and the point where it happened

4. What's the characteristics of Conceptual Dependency?

Conceptual Dependency (CD) is a theory that uses a limited number of primitive concepts and rules to represent the meaning of natural language sentences. Some characteristics of CD include: 

 

Language independent

CD representations are independent of the words used in the original sentence. 

 

Helps draw inferences

CD helps in drawing inferences from sentences. 

 

Conceptual primitives

CD uses conceptual primitives to represent the meaning of sentences instead of words. 

 

Diagrammatic representation

Sentences are represented as a series of diagrams that depict actions using both abstract and real physical situations. 

 

Frame-like structures

Frame-like structures are used to represent commonly occurring experiences. 

 

Building blocks

The building blocks of CD include entities, actions, conceptual cases, conceptual dependencies, and conceptual tenses. 

 

Picture producers and picture aiders

Picture producers are actors or physical objects that perform different acts, while picture aiders are supporting properties or attributes of producers. 

 

CD was developed by Schank in the 1970s. It provides a general model for knowledge representation, but it can be difficult to construct original sentences from representations or represent complex actions. 

 

5. How do Conceptual Dependency in AI work?

Conceptual dependency (CD) theory is a model in artificial intelligence (AI) that uses a limited set of concepts and rules to represent natural language statements: 

 

Goal

CD's goal is to make the meaning of a sentence independent of the words used to express it. 

 

Representation

CD uses a series of diagrams to represent sentences, which depict actions in abstract and physical situations. 

 

Primitives

CD uses a set of primitive concepts to represent the meaning of a sentence. These primitives are language independent and capture the intended meaning. 

 Examples of Primitive Acts are:

ATRANS

-- Transfer of an abstract relationship. e.g. give.

PTRANS

-- Transfer of the physical location of an object. e.g. go.

PROPEL

-- Application of a physical force to an object. e.g. push.

MTRANS

-- Transfer of mental information. e.g. tell.

MBUILD

-- Construct new information from old. e.g. decide.

SPEAK

-- Utter a sound. e.g. say.

ATTEND

-- Focus a sense on a stimulus. e.g. listen, watch.

MOVE

-- Movement of a body part by owner. e.g. punch, kick.

GRASP

-- Actor grasping an object. e.g. clutch.

INGEST

-- Actor ingesting an object. e.g. eat.

EXPEL

-- Actor getting rid of an object from body. e.g. ????.

Six primitive conceptual categories provide building blocks which are the set of allowable dependencies in the concepts in a sentence:

PP

-- Real world objects.

ACT

-- Real world actions.

PA

-- Attributes of objects.

AA

-- Attributes of actions.

T

-- Times.

LOC

-- Locations.

Inferences

CD helps draw inferences from sentences. 

 

Scripts

CD uses frame-like structures called scripts to represent common experiences, such as going to the movies or eating at a restaurant. 

 

Here are some other aspects of CD: 

 

Conceptual cases

All actions involve one or more conceptual cases, such as objective, directive, instrumental, or recipient. 

 

Conceptual tenses

CD uses conceptual tenses to represent the time of action or state of being. 

 

PROPEL

PROPEL is a CD token that describes when physical force is applied to an object. 

 

PTRANS

PTRANS is a CD token that is applied when PROPEL results in a change in the object's location. 

 

Roger Schank of Stanford University introduced CD in 1969. 

 

6. What's the main components of Conceptual Dependency?

The components of Conceptual Dependency (CD) are: 

 

Nodes: Represent information 

 

Primitives: A specific set of primitives 

 

Diagrams: Sentences are represented as a series of diagrams that depict actions 

 

Agents and objects: Represented in the diagrams 

 

Primitive acts: Actions are built up from a set of primitive acts that can be modified by tense 

 

In CD, arrows indicate the direction of dependency, which shows which task or component is dependent on another. 

 

7. How to construct Conceptual Dependency?

To construct a conceptual dependency, you can use a set of rules and primitive concepts to represent a natural language statement as a series of diagrams. 

Here are some things to consider when constructing a conceptual dependency: 

 

Picture producers: These are actors or physical objects, including human memory, that perform different acts. 

 

Picture aiders: These are supporting properties or attributes of producers. 

 

Primitive actions: These are actions that can be modified by tense. 

 

Conceptual transitions: These act on the representation. For example, an ATRANS represents a transfer, like "give" or "take", while a PTRANS acts on locations, like "move" or "go". 

 

Information types: The three most common types of information to be provided are possession (POSS-BY), location (LOC), and physical containment (CONT). 

 

Arrow direction: The direction of the arrow points toward the concept being described. 

 

For example, the sentence "John gave a book to Mary" would be represented as the action of an ATRANS on two real world objects, John and Mary. 

 

8. Where Conceptual Dependency has Applications?

Conceptual dependency (CD) theory is a model of natural language understanding used in artificial intelligence systems. It is used to represent knowledge acquired from natural language input into computers. 

CD theory has applications in the following areas: 

 

Modeling natural language understanding: CD theory is used in the MARGIE model, which stands for Meaning Analysis, Response Generation and Inference on English. 

 

Understanding stories: CD theory is used in the SAM and PAM models, which stand for Script Applier Mechanism and Plan Applier Mechanism, respectively. 

 

Representing knowledge: CD theory provides a general model for knowledge representation. 

 

CD theory was developed by Roger Schank at Stanford University in the 1970s. The theory uses conceptual primitives to represent the meaning of natural language sentences instead of words. CD representations are built using primitives that capture the intended meaning, are language independent, and help draw inferences. 

The sum up the application of CD are:

MARGIE

(Meaning Analysis, Response Generation and Inference on English) -- model natural language understanding.

SAM

(Script Applier Mechanism) -- Scripts to understand stories. 

PAM

(Plan Applier Mechanism) -- Scripts to understand stories.

 

9. What's the advantages of Conceptual Dependency?

CD theory can help computers: 

• Reveal the hidden meaning of a sentence 
• Infer meaning from text 
•  Draw logical inferences 
•  Create tools for translating between languages 

Advantages of CD:

• Using these primitives involves fewer inference rules.
• Many inference rules are already represented in CD structure.
• The holes in the initial structure help to focus on the points still to be established.

10. What's the disadvantages of Conceptual Dependency?

Disadvantages of CD:

• Knowledge must be decomposed into fairly low level primitives.
• Impossible or difficult to find correct set of primitives.
• A lot of inference may still be required.
• Representations can be complex even for relatively simple actions.

11 . Conclusions

CDs are very helpful when there isn't a specific rule for sentence structure.

Natural language processing relies on this representation to accurately portray the meaning of sentences to conclude the text. It makes no assumptions about the original language spoken by the speakers of the sentences. 

Conceptual "primitives," rather than actual language words, are used to construct CD representations of sentences; when put together, they convey the intended meanings of individual words.

12. FAQs

Q. How many primitives are there in conceptual dependency?

Ans. 

The CD provide primitive acts which represents the English (or any other language) verbs in simpler structure. There are total 11 primitive acts and whenever an English verb is observed, it is converted to a form containing one or more primitive acts. The representation of a single idea is called conceptualization.

References

some books and resources about conceptual dependency theory (CDT) in artificial intelligence (AI): 

 

Conceptual dependency: A theory of natural language understanding: This book is available on ScienceDirect. 

 

Artificial Intelligence: By Charniak and McDermott, this book discusses conceptual dependency. 

 

Conceptual Dependency Theory: A YouTube video by Prof. Deepak Khemani from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras discusses conceptual dependency theory.