CUCS-1l4-84 TAKING THE INITIATIVE

Human participants in a conversatIOn display a flexibility in shifting initiative not currently found 10 natural language proc~sslOg systems They frequently take charge of the dialogue to prOVide necessary. but unrequested Information Based on an analYSIS of transcripts of student adVISing dialogues, we present a. theory of role shiftIng that details the information needed to taKe the initiative, motivations for dOing so, and expectations arising from the current discourse state ~lotlvatlons for taking the Initiative may arISe either from the domain task or from the commUnication reqUirements of the dialogue Itself To malOtaln conversational coherence while taklOg the IOltlatlve a system must conSider the expectations ariSing from the current tOpIC and role states We present da.ta to support our conclUSIOns which have Implicatlons for natural language computer systems