Task analysis

About: Task analysis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10432 publications have been published within this topic receiving 283481 citations.

Multi-Agent Systems: A Survey

Abstract: Multi-agent systems (MASs) have received tremendous attention from scholars in different disciplines, including computer science and civil engineering, as a means to solve complex problems by subdividing them into smaller tasks. The individual tasks are allocated to autonomous entities, known as agents. Each agent decides on a proper action to solve the task using multiple inputs, e.g., history of actions, interactions with its neighboring agents, and its goal. The MAS has found multiple applications, including modeling complex systems, smart grids, and computer networks. Despite their wide applicability, there are still a number of challenges faced by MAS, including coordination between agents, security, and task allocation. This survey provides a comprehensive discussion of all aspects of MAS, starting from definitions, features, applications, challenges, and communications to evaluation. A classification on MAS applications and challenges is provided along with references for further studies. We expect this paper to serve as an insightful and comprehensive resource on the MAS for researchers and practitioners in the area.

Toward an assembly plan from observation. I. Task recognition with polyhedral objects

Abstract: The authors present the assembly-plan-from-observation (APO) method for robot programming. The APO method aims to build a system that has the capability of observing a human performing an assembly task, understanding the task based on the observation, and subsequently generating a robot program to achieve the same task. This paper focuses on the task recognition module (TRM), the main component of a complete APO system. The TRM recognizes object configurations before and after an assembly task, detects a configuration transition, and infers the assembly task that causes such a configuration transition. We assume that each assembly task aims to achieve a face contact relation between an object that has just been manipulated and the stationary environmental objects. We prepare abstract task models that associate transitions of face contact relations with assembly tasks that achieve such transitions. Next, we implement TRM in order to verify two issues: 1) that such a contact transition can be recovered from the output of the object recognizer; and 2) that given these relation transitions, it is possible to use the abstract task models to generate robot motion commands. >

Speaker Variability Augments Phonological Processing in Early Word Learning.

Abstract: Infants in the early stages of word learning have difficulty learning lexical neighbors (ie word pairs that differ by a single phoneme), despite their ability to discriminate the same contrast in a purely auditory task While prior work has focused on top-down explanations for this failure (eg task demands, lexical competition), none has examined if bottom-up acoustic-phonetic factors play a role We hypothesized that lexical neighbor learning could be improved by incorporating greater acoustic variability in the words being learned, as this may buttress still-developing phonetic categories, and help infants identify the relevant contrastive dimension Infants were exposed to pictures accompanied by labels spoken by either a single or multiple speakers At test, infants in the single-speaker condition failed to recognize the difference between the two words, while infants who heard multiple speakers discriminated between them

A constraints-led perspective to understanding skill acquisition and game play: a basis for integration of motor learning theory and physical education praxis?

Abstract: Background: In order to design appropriate environments for performance and learning of movement skills, physical educators need a sound theoretical model of the learner and of processes of learning. In physical education, this type of modelling informs the organization of learning environments and effective and efficient use of practice time. An emerging theoretical framework in motor learning, relevant to physical education, advocates a constraints-led perspective for acquisition of movement skills and game play knowledge. This framework shows how physical educators could use task, performer and environmental constraints to channel acquisition of movement skills and decision making behaviours in learners. From this viewpoint, learners generate specific movement solutions to satisfy the unique combination of constraints imposed on them, a process which can be harnessed during physical education lessons. Purpose: In this paper the aim is to provide an overview of the motor learning approach emanating from the constraints-led perspective, and examine how it can substantiate a platform for a new pedagogical framework in physical education: nonlinear pedagogy. We aim to demonstrate that it is only through theoretically valid and objective empirical work of an applied nature that a conceptually sound nonlinear pedagogy model can continue to evolve and support research in physical education. We present some important implications for designing practices in games lessons, showing how a constraints-led perspective on motor learning could assist physical educators in understanding how to structure learning experiences for learners at different stages, with specific focus on understanding the design of games teaching programmes in physical education, using exemplars from Rugby Union and Cricket. Findings: Research evidence from recent studies examining movement models demonstrates that physical education teachers need a strong understanding of sport performance so that task constraints can be manipulated so that information-movement couplings are maintained in a learning environment that is representative of real performance situations. Physical educators should also understand that movement variability may not necessarily be detrimental to learning and could be an important phenomenon prior to the acquisition of a stable and functional movement pattern. We highlight how the nonlinear pedagogical approach is student-centred and empowers individuals to become active learners via a more hands-off approach to learning. Summary: A constraints-based perspective has the potential to provide physical educators with a framework for understanding how performer, task and environmental constraints shape each individual‟s physical education. Understanding the underlying neurobiological processes present in a constraints-led perspective to skill acquisition and game play can raise awareness of physical educators that teaching is a dynamic 'art' interwoven with the 'science' of motor learning theories.

How two share a task: Corepresenting stimulus-response mappings

Abstract: Previous research has shown that individuals unintentionally adjust their behavior to others by mimicking others' actions and by synchronizing their actions with others. This study investigated whether individuals form a representation of a coactor's task when the context does not require interpersonal coordination. Pairs of participants performed a reaction time (RT) task alongside each other, responding to 2 different dimensions of the same stimulus. Results showed that each actor's performance was influenced by the other's task. RTs on trials that required a response from both participants were slowed compared with trials that required only a response from 1 actor. Similar results were observed when each participant knew the other's task but could not observe the other's actions. These findings provide evidence that shared task representations are formed in social settings that do not require interpersonal coordination and emerge as a consequence of how a social situation is conceptualized.