A LOGICAL APPROACH TO PROBLEM REPRESENTATION

The cognitive sciences distinguish between symbolic and nonsymbolic problems. Here we consider problems that can be represented in terms of symbolic statements. We propose to represent a symbolic problem as a pair compaired of a partial structure and a theory, thereby situating the issue in the domain of trivalent logics and model theory. More specifically, the solution of a problem is a matter of finding the models of the theory which extend the initial partial structure. Such an approach makes it possible to see the solution of a problem as a process of reformulation whereby reasoning progresses in leaps and bounds. It provides a powerful tool for the symbolic description of economic agents' decision-making process. © 1990.