An intelligent data-base interface using psychological similarity between data

A question-answering system for data-base interfaces is presented which uses psychological similarity between data. The similarity relationships between data are derived from a data base that is based on a set-theoretic model of psychological similarity. These relationships are represented in the computer as a network. The generalization function enables propagation of information obtained from user similarity responses over the network. Using the generalization function, the computer determines the generic kind of question it should next pose to the user. Through this question-answering process, the knowledge-based system aids the user in specifying requests for relevant data, as well as in retrieving data from the data base. Finally, the system presented here is applied to a chemical data base, and the results of the question-answering process with the implemented system are discussed.