Visualizing Argumentation

This text examines the use of collaboration technologies in the problem-solving or decision-making process. These systems are widely used in both education and in the workplace to enable virtual groups to discuss and exchange ideas on issues ranging from applied problems to theoretical debate. While some systems are text-based, the majority rely on visualization techniques to allow participants to represent their ideas in a more flexible, graphical form. The text evaluates existing systems, and looks at how the specific needs of users in both educational and corporate environments can be reflected in the design of new systems.

Considerable efforts have been made in developing and assessing educational technology to support and teach argumentation. These efforts have culminated in the form of techniques which include Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. Many of these techniques have been shown to be effective for specific argumentation domains. At the same time, the general design problem of how to support a learner's acquisition of argumentation skills through computer aided tools has not yet been perfected. This e-book presents a collection of current approaches in educational technologies for argumentation. Technological approaches underlying successful argumentation systems are presented, along with their relation to the success of these tools.

Proceedings of the conference held Dec. 7-9, 2006, at the Université Pantheon Assas, Paris II, France.

The subject of argumentation has been studied since ancient times, but it has seen major innovations since the advent of the computer age. Software already exists which can create and evaluate arguments in high-stake situations, such as medical diagnosis and criminal investigation; formal systems can help us appreciate the role of the value judgments which underlie opposing positions; and it is even possible to enter into argumentative dialogues as if playing a computer game. This book presents the 28 full papers, 17 short papers and a number of system demonstrations, described in an extended abstract, from the 2012 biennial Computational Models of Argument (COMMA) conference, held in Vienna, Austria. Papers by the invited speakers Professor Trevor Bench-Capon, Professor Erik Krabbe and Professor Keith Stenning are also included. This year, for the first time, COMMA invited the submission of papers for an innovative applications track, and those which were accepted for presentation are included in this volume. Argumentation can be studied from many angles, including the artificial, natural and theoretical systems perspective.Presentations at the 2012 conference addressed the subject from these perspectives and many more.

Use of argumentation methods applied to legal reasoning is a relatively new field of study. The book provides a survey of the leading problems, and outlines how future research using argumentation-based methods show great promise of leading to useful solutions. The problems studied include not only these of argument evaluation and argument invention, but also analysis of specific kinds of evidence commonly used in law, like witness testimony, circumstantial evidence, forensic evidence and character evidence. New tools for analyzing these kinds of evidence are introduced.

It would be difficult to imagine how a development as world-changing as the emergence of the Internet could have taken place without having some impact upon the ways in which politics is expressed, conducted, depicted and reflected upon. The Handbook o

This book is the outcome of the Dagstuhl Seminar on "Information Visualization -- Human-Centered Issues in Visual Representation, Interaction, and Evaluation" held at Dagstuhl Castle, Germany, from May 28 to June 1, 2007. Information Visualization (InfoVis) is a relatively new research area, which focuses on the use of visualization techniques to help people understand and analyze data. This book documents and extends the findings and discussions of the various sessions in detail. The seven contributions cover the most important topics: There are general reflections on the value of information visualization; evaluating information visualizations; theoretical foundations of information visualization; teaching information visualization. And specific aspects on creation and collaboration: engaging new audiences for information visualization; process and pitfalls in writing information visualization research papers; and visual analytics: definition, process, and challenges.

Focuses on the aim to develop software tools to assist users in constructing and evaluating arguments and counterarguments and/or to develop automated systems for constructing and evaluating arguments and counterarguments. This book includes articles, which provide a snapshot of research questions in the area of computational models of argument.