Knowledge Adquisition in a Cooperative and Competitive Framework

There are several literature references which deal with interchange of tangible goods (see e.g. López, Núñez, Rodríguez, & Rubio, 2002). However, when the nature of interchangeable goods is more complex, such as knowledge, some considerations must be taken into account. In case of information " interchange " , it is compulsory to consider that to supply it does not imply that the initial owner losses it. This is radically different from the treatment of physical resources, since when, for instance, a person exchange a horse for a car, she has not got the horse any more. This difference , which seems simple at first sight, entails great and radical changes when dealing with interchange systems where the changeable goods may include knowledge. When tackling interchange systems, a crucial point is the process that leads users to make their ABSTRACT In this chapter, we modelize an interchange commerce system basen on the economic concept of utility function. A cognitive agent controls the interchanges of the clients in her market. When interchanges are not possible any more, the agent becomes a client of a higher market, giving place to a hierarchical market system. Now, she behaves according to what she has learned from her clients. Apart from physical resources, intangible goods such as knowledge are also interchanged. This cooperative and competitive structure is formalized via process algebra.