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Acquiring User Strategies and Preferences for Negotiating Agents: A Default Then Adjust Method

Acquiring User Strategies and Preferences for Negotiating Agents: A Default Then Adjust Method
Acquiring User Strategies and Preferences for Negotiating Agents: A Default Then Adjust Method
A wide range of algorithms have been developed for various types of negotiating agents. In developing such algorithms the main focus has been on their efficiency and their effectiveness. However, this is only a part of the picture. Typically, agents negotiate on behalf of their owners and for this to be effective the agents must be able to adequately represent their owners’ strategies and preferences for negotiation. However, the process by which such knowledge is acquired is typically left unspecified. To address this problem, we undertook a study of how user information about negotiation tradeoff strategies and preferences can be captured. Specifically, we devised a novel default-then-adjust acquisition technique. In this, the system firstly does a structured interview with the user to suggest the attributes that the tradeoff could be made between, then it asks the user to adjust the suggested default tradeoff strategy by improving some attribute to see how much worse the attribute being traded off can be made while still being acceptable, and, finally, it asks the user to adjust the default preference on the tradeoff alternatives. This method is consistent with the principles of standard negotiation theory and to demonstrate its effectiveness we implemented a prototype system and performed an empirical evaluation in an accommodation renting scenario. The result of this evaluation indicates the proposed technique is helpful and efficient in accurately acquiring the users’ tradeoff strategies and preferences.
Tradeoff Strategy and Preference, Knowledge Aquisition, Preference Aquisition, Automated Negotiaition, Software Agents
304-321
Luo, X
dfcd560e-b53e-4ddb-a393-a3d81b516446
Jennings, N. R.
ab3d94cc-247c-4545-9d1e-65873d6cdb30
Shadbolt, N.
5c5acdf4-ad42-49b6-81fe-e9db58c2caf7
Luo, X
dfcd560e-b53e-4ddb-a393-a3d81b516446
Jennings, N. R.
ab3d94cc-247c-4545-9d1e-65873d6cdb30
Shadbolt, N.
5c5acdf4-ad42-49b6-81fe-e9db58c2caf7

Luo, X, Jennings, N. R. and Shadbolt, N. (2006) Acquiring User Strategies and Preferences for Negotiating Agents: A Default Then Adjust Method. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 64 (4), 304-321.

Record type: Article

Abstract

A wide range of algorithms have been developed for various types of negotiating agents. In developing such algorithms the main focus has been on their efficiency and their effectiveness. However, this is only a part of the picture. Typically, agents negotiate on behalf of their owners and for this to be effective the agents must be able to adequately represent their owners’ strategies and preferences for negotiation. However, the process by which such knowledge is acquired is typically left unspecified. To address this problem, we undertook a study of how user information about negotiation tradeoff strategies and preferences can be captured. Specifically, we devised a novel default-then-adjust acquisition technique. In this, the system firstly does a structured interview with the user to suggest the attributes that the tradeoff could be made between, then it asks the user to adjust the suggested default tradeoff strategy by improving some attribute to see how much worse the attribute being traded off can be made while still being acceptable, and, finally, it asks the user to adjust the default preference on the tradeoff alternatives. This method is consistent with the principles of standard negotiation theory and to demonstrate its effectiveness we implemented a prototype system and performed an empirical evaluation in an accommodation renting scenario. The result of this evaluation indicates the proposed technique is helpful and efficient in accurately acquiring the users’ tradeoff strategies and preferences.

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Published date: 2006
Keywords: Tradeoff Strategy and Preference, Knowledge Aquisition, Preference Aquisition, Automated Negotiaition, Software Agents
Organisations: Web & Internet Science, Agents, Interactions & Complexity

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 264474
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/264474
PURE UUID: bc804e78-9ff1-4a1a-b2ab-385368287536

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 Sep 2007
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 07:50

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Contributors

Author: X Luo
Author: N. R. Jennings
Author: N. Shadbolt

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