Understanding Similarity: A Joint Project for Psychology,Case-Based Reasoning, and Law

  • Authors:

  • Ulrike Hahn;Nick Chater

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV7 4AL, U.K.;Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV7 4AL, U.K.

  • Venue:
  • Artificial Intelligence Review
  • Year:
  • 1998

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Abstract

Case-based Reasoning (CBR) began as a theory of human cognition, but has attracted relatively little direct experimental or theoreticalinvestigation in psychology. However, psychologists have developeda range of instance-based theories of cognition and haveextensively studied how similarity to past cases can guidecategorization of new cases. This paper considers the relationbetween CBR and psychological research, focussing on similarity inhuman and artificial case-based reasoning in law. We argue thatCBR, psychology and legal theory have complementary contributionsto understanding similarity, and describe what each offers. Thisallows us to establish criteria for assessing existing CBR systemsin law and to establish what we consider to be the crucial goalsfor further research on similarity, both from a psychological anda CBR perspective.