Some points of interest evolved from this first discussion with the expert. Two elements, the Strategic Strategy Chooser and the Tactical Strategy Chooser were of particular interest.
Discussion with the expert revealed that these concepts were very similar to the Cognitive System and the Regulatory System; from Norman's discussion of the differences between animate and artificial cognitive systems, Norman, 1980.
This brings up an interesting avenue of research. Norman`s intuitions were that in order to survive the dangers of the world, early man had to rely on a reflexive component of his psyche. This was the Regulatory System. As man progressed he developed a more prominent Cognitive System. An interesting issue that was brought up was whether it is the Regulatory or Cognitive system that is in primacy. Based on the concept map developed by the expert, it would be possible to implement this model into a robot and test the success of a dominant Regulatory System Compared to a dominant Cognitive System.
The Strategic Strategy Chooser element is of direct interest. This element is supposed to contain the higher level processes that override the reflexive drives of the Tactical Strategy Chooser. Based on discussions with the expert, it appears that the elements mapping its structure may very well be different from the Tactical Strategy Chooser. The inherent abstractness of the elements would pose interesting challenges to a robotics implementation.
Based on the breadth of the elements that were derived, it was necessary to reduce the scope of the domain to fit into the time frame of the project. The following shows the area that was chosen in both the operational map and the final concept map.
Operational Map Showing the Chosen Area of Study
Concept Map Showing the Chosen Area of Study
The Tactical Strategy Chooser was chosen because the complete description of this element will determine the required input and sensor requirements of the robot and map out the strategy selection process. A complete description of this conceptual structure will essentially answer the questions, "What factors must be known in order to make a good tactical strategy selection?" and "Based on the situation, which is the best strategy to employ?". The initial knowledge elicitation is thus further focused on the first question dealing with required inputs. "What information is needed from the real-world to make a proper selection".
Initial Concept Map