A Categorization of Contextual Constraints

We present a categorization of contextual constraints, and dis-cuss their uses in embodied agent architectures. “Context” has been described as a difficult term to define, because it’s: (1) used across numerous disciplines in cognitive science and computer science; (2) relative to an agent, or device; and (3) relative to the cognitive process being examined and exper-imented upon. As such, context is a consequence of theo-ries about cognitive processes, not something observed. It has a theoretical role, not one of a measurable unit. We will take context to be the structured set of variable, external con-straints to some (natural or artificial) cognitive process that influences the behavior of that process in the agent(s) un-der consideration. By reviewing the cognitive science disci-plines of linguistics, psychology, knowledge representation, and human-computer interaction, we’ve identified contextual factors that can serve several uses among embodied cogni-tive architectures, such as knowledge acquisition, knowledge partitioning, and context switching