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Plains Typology Conference
Conference Overview
This project will create a projectile point typology for the Northwestern
Plains of North America by eliciting knowledge from expert archaeologists
through a computer-based anonymous collaboration and decision tool, as those
experts interact with each other and with an artificial intelligence (AI) that
is an automated expert classification system.
Archaeologists who study the prehistory of the Northwestern Plains will
attend a 3-day conference at the Simplot Decision Support Center (SDSC) at Idaho
State University. During six discrete sessions, the archaeologists will interact
with each and with the automated expert system through a knowledge elicitation
protocol. The goal of the sessions is to use the decision tool of the SDSC to
support the knowledge elicitation exercise and to create the first definitive
and validated classification of projectile points from the Northwestern Plains.
Twelve archaeologists will be invited to attend, representing senior and junior
expert knowledge.
The project has several significant outcomes:
- The project will create a new typology for projectile points from the
Northwestern Plains.
- This typology will result from the consensus of human experts, from the
automatic classification of projectile points by the automated expert system
(known as “SIGGI”), and from the interaction between the human experts and
automated expert system.
- The project will pilot the use of knowledge elicitation protocols in
both expert-expert and expert-SIGGI interactions.
- The project will pilot the use of knowledge elicitation protocols in an
archaeological context.
- The project will use the Simplot Decision Support Center (SDSC) for the
knowledge elicitation exercises.
Principal Researchers
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Skip Lohse
- Professor, Department of Anthropology
- Phone: 208-282-5189
- Email: lohserne@isu.edu
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Kandi Turley-Ames
- Corey Schou
- Director, Informatics Research Institute
- Jim Frost
- Research Assistant Professor of Informatics
- Al Strickland
- Professor, Department of Instructional Methods & Technology
- D. Sammons
- Associate Professor, Department of Instructional Methods &
Technology
- Phone: 208-282-2569
- Email: sammdott@isu.edu
Plains Typology Conference Staff
- Paul Santarone
- Coral Moser
- Keith Lohse
Review of Literature
Three areas of research provide the background for the Plains Typology
Conference. These include autoclassification of projectile points through use of
a neural network, study of how expert knowledge is structured, and models of
expert decision making and consensus.
- The autoclassification system central to the Plains Typology Conference
is an expert classification system that we call “SIGGI.” SIGGI is so-named
because, as a neural network, it employs a Sigmoid function for
backpropagation of classification protocols. SIGGI has been previously
described in a number of conference presentations and publications, which
can be found here .
- The study of expert knowledge is a relatively underdeveloped field of
psychology. The Plains Typology Conference will provide an unprecedented
data set of expert knowledge in a tightly defined field. To observe twelve
experts in the singular field of Plains projectile point classification
provides a unique opportunity to make judgements about how expert knowledge
is structured, shared, and articulated. A set of publications on expert
knowledge systems can be found here.
- The Plains projectile experts involved in this project will review and
discuss projectile point classification in the Simplot Decision Support
Center . This computer-based system allows for anonymous discussion,
evaluation, and rating of proposed projectile point types. Research on both
the Delphi and nominal group evaluation processes are used to create a new
synthetic model of expert evaluation; previous research on the Delphi and
nominal group models may be found
here .
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