A Gentle Introduction to Epistemic Planning: The DEL Approach

Epistemic planning can be used for decision making in multi-agent situations with distributed knowledge and capabilities. Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL) has been shown to provide a very natural and expressive framework for epistemic planning. In this paper, we aim to give an accessible introduction to DEL-based epistemic planning. The paper starts with the most classical framework for planning, STRIPS, and then moves towards epistemic planning in a number of smaller steps, where each step is motivated by the need to be able to model more complex planning scenarios.Comment: In Proceedings M4M9 2017, arXiv:1703.0173

Learning Action Models: Qualitative Approach

In dynamic epistemic logic, actions are described using action models. In this paper we introduce a framework for studying learnability of action models from observations. We present first results concerning propositional action models. First we check two basic learnability criteria: finite identifiability (conclusively inferring the appropriate action model in finite time) and identifiability in the limit (inconclusive convergence to the right action model). We show that deterministic actions are finitely identifiable, while non-deterministic actions require more learning power-they are identifiable in the limit. We then move on to a particular learning method, which proceeds via restriction of a space of events within a learning-specific action model. This way of learning closely resembles the well-known update method from dynamic epistemic logic. We introduce several different learning methods suited for finite identifiability of particular types of deterministic actions.Comment: 18 pages, accepted for LORI-V: The Fifth International Conference on Logic, Rationality and Interaction, October 28-31, 2015, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwa

Three-Dimensional Network Model for Coupling~of~Fracture and Mass Transport in Quasi-Brittle Geomaterials

Dual three-dimensional networks of structural and transport elements were combined to model the effect of fracture on mass transport in quasi-brittle geomaterials. Element connectivity of the structural network, representing elasticity and fracture, was defined by the Delaunay tessellation of a random set of points. The connectivity of transport elements within the transport network was defined by the Voronoi tessellation of the same set of points. A new discretisation strategy for domain boundaries was developed to apply boundary conditions for the coupled analyses. The properties of transport elements were chosen to evolve with the crack opening values of neighbouring structural elements. Through benchmark comparisons involving non-stationary transport and fracture, the proposed dual network approach was shown to be objective with respect to element size and orientation

Cooperative Epistemic Multi-Agent Planning for Implicit Coordination

Epistemic planning can be used for decision making in multi-agent situations with distributed knowledge and capabilities. Recently, Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL) has been shown to provide a very natural and expressive framework for epistemic planning. We extend the DEL-based epistemic planning framework to include perspective shifts, allowing us to define new notions of sequential and conditional planning with implicit coordination. With these, it is possible to solve planning tasks with joint goals in a decentralized manner without the agents having to negotiate about and commit to a joint policy at plan time. First we define the central planning notions and sketch the implementation of a planning system built on those notions. Afterwards we provide some case studies in order to evaluate the planner empirically and to show that the concept is useful for multi-agent systems in practice.Comment: In Proceedings M4M9 2017, arXiv:1703.0173

Föräldrastödsutbildning – om gruppledares reflektioner kring kultur och föräldraskap

Fokus för denna studie är de föräldrastödsutbildningar som i snabb takt introduceras i Sverige. Dessa är ofta manualbaserade program vilket innebär att de inte bör ändras. Syftet med dem är att ge föräldrar stöd och nya verktyg i uppfostran av sina barn. I USA finns en pågående debatt om huruvida sådana föräldrastödsutbildningar kan fungera på ett likvärdigt sätt för alla föräldrar oavsett vilken kulturell bakgrund eller vilka levnadsvillkor man har. Den debatten grundar sig på tanken om att synen på föräldraskap och barnuppfostran kan skilja sig avsevärt åt mellan olika kulturer samt att programmen därmed på olika sätt är normativa med en västerländsk syn på föräldraskap. I USA ställs därför frågan huruvida dessa program bör anpassas efter olika kulturer och etniska minoriteter. Syftet med denna studie är därför att analysera gruppledares reflektioner kring föräldrastöds-program, heterogena föräldragrupper, föräldraskap och kulturella och socioekonomiska skillnader. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt dels från tidigare forskning om föräldrastödsut-bildningar och dels från teorier om olika sätt att se på och förhålla sig till kultur och kulturella skillnader i socialt arbete samt hur vår syn på föräldraskap och barnuppfostran påverkas av faktorer som kultur och socioekonomiska villkor. I ljuset av detta har sedan semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer av gruppledare för sådana föräldrastödsutbildningar gjorts. Studiens resultat visar att gruppledarna inte upplever de kulturellt och socioekonomiskt heterogena föräldragrupperna som något problematiskt utan snarare som värdefullt. Dock framkommer av studien att det finns exkluderande faktorer som gör att alla i befolkningen inte har likvärdig tillgång till föräldrastödsutbildningar. I studien föreslås därför att det görs en medveten översikt över de exkluderande faktorer som kan finnas i programmen samt ett övervägande av vilken målgrupp man vill nå med programmen

On the relevance of Bernstein for German-speaking Switzerland

This article assesses the relevance of Basil Bernstein for German-speaking Switzerland. It argues that Bernstein is potentially relevant for German-speaking Switzerland in light of contemporary studies which highlight a connection between social background and differential school achievement. After contextualising Bernstein's theoretical outlook and critically reflecting upon his use of a static concept of social class, it explores past and present applications of Bernstein. The paper thereby shows that the uptake of Bernstein's outlook was and continues to be minimal for the Swiss German context and reasons for this conclusion are explored. In the final sections of the article connections between social background and differential school achievement are explored for contemporary German-speaking Switzerland. On the basis of this analysis, the paper concludes by arguing that while aspects of Basil Bernstein's theoretical outlook are potentially relevant for the Swiss German context, they need to be reassessed in light of the awareness of the variety of interdependent factors which can and do influence the performance of children and adolescents at schoo

Seeing is Believing: Formalising False-Belief Tasks in Dynamic Epistemic Logic

Abstract. In this paper we show how to formalise false-belief tasks like the Sally-Anne task and the second-order chocolate task in Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL). False-belief tasks are used to test the strength of the Theory of Mind (ToM) of humans, that is, a human’s ability to attribute mental states to other agents. Having a ToM is known to be essential to human social intelligence, and hence likely to be essential to social intelligence of artificial agents as well. It is therefore important to find ways of implementing a ToM in artificial agents, and to show that such agents can then solve false-belief tasks. In this paper, the approach is to use DEL as a formal framework for representing ToM, and use reasoning in DEL to solve false-belief tasks. In addition to formalising several false-belief tasks in DEL, the paper introduces some extensions of DEL itself: edge-conditioned event models and observability propositions. These extensions are introduced to provide better formalisations of the false-belief tasks, but expected to have independent future interest.

Bisimulation and expressivity for conditional belief, degrees of belief, and safe belief

Plausibility models are Kripke models that agents use to reason about knowledge and belief, both of themselves and of each other. Such models are used to interpret the notions of conditional belief, degrees of belief, and safe belief. The logic of conditional belief contains that modality and also the knowledge modality, and similarly for the logic of degrees of belief and the logic of safe belief. With respect to these logics, plausibility models may contain too much information. A proper notion of bisimulation is required that characterises them. We define that notion of bisimulation and prove the required characterisations: on the class of image-finite and preimage-finite models (with respect to the plausibility relation), two pointed Kripke models are modally equivalent in either of the three logics, if and only if they are bisimilar. As a result, the information content of such a model can be similarly expressed in the logic of conditional belief, or the logic of degrees of belief, or that of safe belief. This, we found a surprising result. Still, that does not mean that the logics are equally expressive: the logics of conditional and degrees of belief are incomparable, the logics of degrees of belief and safe belief are incomparable, while the logic of safe belief is more expressive than the logic of conditional belief. In view of the result on bisimulation characterisation, this is an equally surprising result. We hope our insights may contribute to the growing community of formal epistemology and on the relation between qualitative and quantitative modelling

Mindfulness - I ett stressat tidevarv

I dagens stressade samhälle finns det behov av stressreducerande verktyg och mindfulness är på frammarsch inom människovårdande yrken. Detta väckte vårt intresse för att undersöka om mindfulness kan vara ett verktyg för oss som blivande socionomer att ta med sig ut i arbetslivet. Vårt syfte och våra frågeställningar har varit om förhållningssättet mindfulness kan vara till hjälp i stressreducerande syfte för personal som arbetar med människor och om förhållningssättet kan ha betydelse i det professionella mötet. Vi har utifrån ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv utfört fem kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer med personal inom socialt/terapeutiskt arbete. Intervjupersonerna har berättat om hur mindfulness, vars ursprung är från österländsk filosofi, har blivit en del av deras livsvärld. De har pratat om olika meditationstekniker där vissa även kan användas i de vardagliga göromålen. Är mindfulness ett sätt att sakta ner i tillvaron? Behöver vi en motvikt till vårt prestationsinriktade samhälle? Resultatet pekar på detta och även att mindfulness för med sig andra effekter än enbart stressreduktion