A paper presented at ESSA 2013 as part of the "Using qualitative data to inform behavioural rules" track there (http://cfpm.org/qual2rule). Abstract: A structure for analysing narrative data is suggested, one that distinguishes three parts: context, scope and narrative elements. This structure is first motivated and then illustrated with some simple examples taken from Sukaina Bhawani’s thesis. It is hypothesised that such a structure might be helpful in preserving more of the natural meaning of such data, as well as being a good match to a context-dependent computational architecture. This structure could clearly be combined and improved by other methods, such as Grounded Theory. Finally some criteria for judging any such method are suggested.

1. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 1
Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive
Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour
Bruce Edmonds
Centre for Policy Modelling,
Manchester Metropolitan University

2. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 2
Aims and Objectives
Aim: to enrich ABM using qualitative data
Strategy: to provide an „intermediate‟ structure for
the analysis of narrative text that is both…
1. a fairly natural fit to human cognition and hence to the
narrative structure of their NL accounts
2. and is in form that facilitates the translation of the
analysis into the micro-level specification of ABM (i.e.
the agent‟s behavioural rules)
Advantages: to make the „translation‟ process more
systematic and hence allow others to follow what
has been done, in particular understand the
particular choices and assumptions made

3. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 3
Criteria for Judging such a method
• Preserves as much of the meaning in the original data
as possible;
• Introduces as few distortions as possible;
• Is as transparent as possible, that is that when
assumptions are used/added they are clear from the
report of the procedure and not implicit/hidden;
• Is practical as a process and not demanding of
impossible or infeasible steps;
• Is as systematic as possible, so that others can
attempt to retrace a reported analysis;
• Is as honest as possible, in that it does not fudge
results appearing to do more than it can deliver.

4. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 4
CSNE Analysis Framework
1. Context: the kind of situation one is in that
determines the „bundle‟ of knowledge that is
relevant to that kind of situation
2. Scope: what is and is not possible given the
current situation and observations
3. Narrative Elements: the narrative elements that
are mentioned assuming the context and scope

5. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 5
Different Aspects Illustrated
Universe of Knowledge
Knowledge indicated by current cognitive context
Knowledge that is possible to
apply given circumstances
Cause1 & Cause2… 
Result1 & Result2…
Event1, event2, etc.

6. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 6
A (simplistic) illustration of context from
the point of view of an actor

7. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 7
Situational vs. Cognitive Context
• The situation in which an event takes place
• This is indefinitely extensive, it could include
anything relevant or coincident
• It is almost universal to abstract to what is
relevant about these to a recognised type when
communicating about this
• The brain somehow deals with situational
context effectively, abstracting kinds of
situations so relevant information can be easily
and preferentially accessed
• The relevant correlate of the situational context
will be called the cognitive context

8. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 8
The Context Heuristic
• The kind of situation is recognised in a rich, fuzzy,
complex and unconscious manner
• Knowledge, habits, norms etc. are learnt for that
kind of situation and are retrieved for it
• Reasoning, learning, interaction happens with
respect to the recognised kind of situation
• Context allows for the world to be dealt with by
type of situation, and hence makes
reasoning/learning etc. feasible
• It is a fallible heuristic with roots in terms of the
social coordination of action, norms, habits

9. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 9
About Scope
• By “scope” I mean the reasoning as to which
knowledge is possible given the circumstances
• For example, if all the seats are taken in a lecture,
then the norms, habits and patterns as to where
one sits do not apply
• Reasoning about scope can be complex and is
done consciously
• However once judgements about scope are made
then they tend to be assumed, unless the
situation changes critically

10. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 10
Scope vs. Cognitive Context
• Both scope and cognitive context determine which
knowledge is useful for any particular situation
that is encountered
• However, they play different roles:
– CC is learnt using pattern recognition over a long time,
but then is largely a „given‟, is almost impossible to
change when learnt, is quick and automatic and is
socially rooted
– Scope is largely reasoned afresh each time, taking
effort to do so, is possible to re-evaluate but only if
needed, and is more individually oriented

11. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 11
Identifying and modelling scope
• Compared to CC, scope is relatively well studied
using formal models of reasoning
– e.g. Updating Markoff/state representations of
causation, non-monotonic logics, causation in Baysian
networks etc.
• Scope plays a relatively explicit part in human
language, sometimes being explicitly stated, at
other times using relatively well understood rules
– e.g. conversational implicature
• It is often possible to infer participant‟s
judgements as to scope and possibility, when not
explicitly mentioned

12. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 12
Narrative Elements
A variety of narrative structure elements are
possible, including:
– Causal stories: A … resulted in … B
– Sequences: A … then … B … then C
– Choices: had to choose between … A and B
– End points: which resulted in A which was a
disaster/really good/…
– Parallelism: A … happens at the same time as ….B
Some possible structures for these suggested by:
(Abell 1992) or (Toulmin 2003)

13. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 13
Some Example Analyses
using narrative data stolen from:
Bhawani, S. (2004) Adaptive Knowledge Dynamics and Emergent
Artificial Societies: Ethnographically Based Multi-Agent Simulations
of Behavioural Adaptation in Agro-Climatic Systems. Doctoral
Thesis, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
(linked from „Relevant Papers‟ at http://cfpm.org/qual2rule)

14. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 14
Hypotheses about relevant contexts
for the interviewed stakeholder
Different perspectives from which the narratives
seem to be told:
• “survival” – things are continually getting worse
and the primary goal is to keep in farming, battle
against nature etc. to avoid bankrupcy
• “comfort” – conditions are comfortable with no
immediate survival threat, one could stop worrying
so much and take things a little easy
• “entrepreneur” – one is looking for big profit,
taking risks if necessary

15. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 15
Quote 1 (p. 113) and CSNE Analysis
“The one conundrum here is that there are more people in
the East who want to … upgrade to more wheat allied
products, that may alter the value of the end product to us.
You see the worst thing that has happened to us worldwide
is the collapse of the Eastern economy... but it is coming
back again now and that actually may help us again. It is a
great shame because we were getting into the Eastern
markets and it was beginning to grow and suddenly it
collapsed.”

16. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 16
Quote 3 (p. 112)
I… would imagine that if the summers were warmer and the
autumns were wetter you would have an earlier harvest, and
therefore all that would happen is that the harvest would
come early and your drilling… would come early so that you
would still be able to establish your winter crops before the
rain really started. If the rains were really early then we would
have to resort to spring sown varieties... The net effect would
be that you would be drilling as soon as you possibly could
which may be later than normal, but because the weather is
warmer that would make up for lost time, so harvest would
still be about the same time… If the autumn was
continuously wet … and we were under water… If it was like
this year every year, then yes there could be a problem.

17. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 17
CSNE Analysis of Quote 3

18. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 18
Quote 3 (p. 127) and CSNE Analysis
“…we have often had this conversation around this table.
Some people don't want to maximize profit.... They are
happier to take a slightly easier, lower level approach and
have an easier life, and not make quite so much money....
And I can relate to that... But because I'm a tenant I don't
own my own land... Everything we farm is rented and
therefore we have an immediate cost, the first cost we meet
is to our landlord and that tends to go up.”

19. Towards a Context- and Scope-Sensitive Analysis for Specifying Agent Behaviour, Bruce Edmonds, ESSA 2013, Warsaw. slide 19
Thanks!
Bruce Edmonds
http://bruce.edmonds.name
Centre for Policy Modelling
http://cfpm.org
Blog/Information on Using qualitative data to inform
behavioral rules
http://cfpm.org/qual2rule/
These slides at: http://www.slideshare.net/BruceEdmonds