"Chunk"

[Christian J Lebiere]

It seems that the approval for dropping "working memory" and using
"declarative memory" exclusively is unanimous.  This implies also
dropping the use of the term "wme", which would become even more obscure
that it is now.  Most people support switching to "chunk", which we
already use as a synonym for "wme".  A couple of people expressed
concern that our use of the term "chunk" is somewhat different from its
use in the literature and in Soar and that confusion may result.  At
least one Soar user reported adapting well to the term after some
initial confusion, but the concern is legitimate.

It has been suggested to parallel the switch from "working memory" to
"declarative memory" by replacing "wme" with "dme", for "declarative
memory element".  This has an appealing simplicity, and would make for a
straightforward change in command names.  I must confess a personal
aversion to this new acronym, but I have gotten over worst things.

"Chunk" and "dme" have symmetrical pros and cons.  "Chunk" is a well
known term in the literature, but it comes with a somewhat different
shade of meaning than ours.  "Dme", on the other hand, arrives with a
clean slate but is a completely unknown word to impose on the community.
 I think that the familiarity of "chunk", both among ACT-R users where
it has already been used as a synonym for "wme" and in the wider
community, is the deciding factor.

On a lighter note, it has been pointed out that "chunk" makes for longer
command names and carries more potential for typos.  The use of "wm" vs
"wme", on the other hand, has been fairly confusing (Is it "addwm" or
"addwme", "wmtype" or "wmetype"?).  Finally, there would be the question
of how to pronounce "dme".  Would it be 'dimi', the straightforward
generalization from "wme"?  'dime' has also been suggested.  'demi'
would raise ACT-R's celebrity quotient.  Or perhaps 'deme', to piggyback
on the popularity of 'meme'.  Possibilities are endless.

As usual, let us know what you think, either by replying to us directly
or to the list.

Thanks,

Christian