Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

In case-based reasoning, a given problem is solved by adapting the solutions to similar problems encountered in the past. A major task in case-based problem solving is to generate modifications that are useful for adapting a previous solution to solve the present problem. We describe a model-based method that uses qualitative models of cjises for generating useful modifications. The qualitative model of a case expresses a problem solver's comprehension of how the solution satisfies the constraints of the problem. We illustrate the model based method in the context of case-based design of physical devices. A designer's understanding of how the structure of a previously encountered design produces its functions is expressed in the form of a function structure model. The functional differences between a given problem and a specific case are mapped into structural modifications by a family of modification generation plans. Each plan is applicable to a specific type of functional difference, and uses the function structure model to identify the specific components that need to be modified. We discuss the evaluation of this model-based method in