Acquiring knowledge in Soar

The strategies used in designing limited method-based tools can be applied to the much broader method that underlies Soar, called the problem space computational model (PSCM). Taql (for task acquisition language), which is the computer representation of PSCM, is discussed. Taql, together with its programming environment, comprises the Soar-based expert-system development tool. A Taql specification consists of a set of Taql constructs, each of which describes some aspect of a PSCM knowledge role. Each of Taql´s 17 constructs is a list consisting of a type and a name for the Taql construct instance, followed by a list of arguments. Each argument specifies some aspect of the construct´s PSCM knowledge role. Taql´s effectiveness is attributed to a combination of PSCM´s simplicity and flexibility and the principled way in which Taql was designed.<>