HPM: A Computational Formalism for Heuristic Procedure Modification

The HPM (Heuristic Procedure Modification) system is a model of strategy learning and optimization, implemented as a processing environment within the PRISM production system package [4]. This paper describes progress in getting HPM to emulate children's discoveries about basic addition procedures. HPM s goal-trace and production trace formalisms allow it to maintain a history of its actions which is both goal ordered and time ordered. Heuristics about meaningful patterns in these traces guide the construction of new productions, which modify procedures by replacing or circumventing preexisting productions.