Scripts

A Script[Schank, R. C. and Abelson. R P., Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum,1977.] can be viewed as a frame for a sequence of actions. Understanding natural language often requires knowledge of typical sequences:


John went to a restaurant. 
He ordered a big steak.
He had forgotten his wallet. 
He had to wash dishes.

The sequence of sentences mentions only the parts of the story that are ``different'' from what might otherwise be expected. Understanding such a sequence requires knowledge of a ``restaurant script'' that specifies typical sequences of actions involved in going to a restaurant.

In contrast to the relatively static slots of a Frame, a Script may have a directed graph of events composing the script.

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