The Phone-dialing ACT-R model: files

This model was created for ACT-R 5.0, with Segman v3.1. It runs in ACL 5.0.1.

The model is split up into several files:

• Environment Loader (env-load.lisp) - Ideally, this file would be loaded on the start of Allegro Common Lisp. Contains the necessary load statements to start ACT-R and Segman. If you do not install the environment off of the root directory, you will need to change the path statements.
• Model Loader (loader.lisp) - Sets up some of the ACT-R parameters and loads the remaining model files. When you "reload", this is the file to load.
• Experiment setup (experiment.lisp) - Helps the model to run more than once. Contains the function that runs the model, called collect-data.
• Segman augmentation (segman-link.lisp) - Has information that needs to be added to Segman, including a definition of a larger screen font and an initialization routine.
• The telephone-dialing model (phone_model.lisp) - The productions and declarative memory elements that do telephone dialing. The parameters one-width and one-height must be set *per telephone* to ensure that visual search works correctly. These must be set to the average space between two adjacent button labels. The rough equation would be one-width = averagebuttonwidth + averagebuttonxspacing + 2, similar for one-height.
• Model for other tasks (phone_model_target.lisp) - This file can be used in place of phone-model.lisp so that the model can perform other phone tasks, such as conference calling or redial. This file does not work at the same time as phone-model.lisp and requires slight changes in experiment.lisp

Running the model

The model can be run using the following command (if using phone_model.lisp):

(collect-data x "Mey"), where x is the number of trials, and y is a number between 1 and 10, inclusive. Me1, Me2, ..., Me10 are stored in phone_model.lisp as the ten sample telephone numbers used in the experiment.

To do other tasks, the model should use phone_model_target.lisp instead of phone_model.lisp. This will require a slight change in experiment.lisp to support a new function. The desired function is:

(collect-data x "y") where x is the number of trials and y is the phone task (i.e. forward, redial, conference).

File view

Browse the files here.

This CD and documentation created May 3, 2003 by Andrew R. Freed to aid cognitive modelers and friends of the Penn State Applied Cognitive Science lab.