Dialogue Macrogame Theory (DMT) new website

[William Mann]

Announcing a website

for

 

Dialogue Macrogame Theory (DMT)

 

Dialogue Macrogame Theory (DMT) is a method for systematic description of human dialogues.  It is organized around a distinction between collaborative and non collaborative parts of dialogues.  

 

Collaborative parts are described using "dialogue macrogames."  These are two-party constructs which are  sometimes used to regulate long intervals of interactions. At other times, using the same constructs, the intervals may be very short. Macrogames make it possible for both parties to fully control the course of the dialogue, because intentions for both parties are accepted and dismissed in a coordinated, negotiated fashion. 

 

Non collaborative parts of dialogues are describe using "unilaterals." Currently 12 macrogames and 12 unilaterals are defined.

 

The website includes an introduction to DMT, definitions for the DMT entities, 19 fully analyzed dialogues (over 800 turns) and instructions for analysts. 

 

These dialogues (along with other analyses not on the website) represent a wide range of situations and individual goals or tasks.  The types of situations include:

 



·        Apollo 13 spacecraft emergency radio

·        An excerpt of "hostage negotiation"

·        Mathematics tutoring

·        Electronics tutoring

·        Physician - Patient interaction

·        Travel agent working



·        Administrative telephone interaction

·        On line human to human help with computers

·        Laboratory interaction from Maptask and other sources

·        Airline pre-crash radio interaction

·        Courtroom questioning of witnesses.



 

The website, titled "Dialogue Resources" is at the following URL:

 

http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~billmann/dialogue

 

Please excuse multiple copies.

Bill Mann

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