In this paper, we arrange FIPA's ACL performatives to form a sub-sumption lattice (ontology) and apply a theory of social commitments to achieve a simplified and observable model of agent behaviour. Using this model, it is straight forward to model agents' social commitments (obligations) based solely on observation of messages passed between the agents (such observation is supported by our agent infrastructure system). Furthermore, owing to the performatives being in a subsumption lattice, it is relatively easy for an observer to infer social commitment relationships even if the observer does not understand the details of messages or even the exact performatives used (so long as the observer has access to the performatives ontology).Although social commitment modelling of agent behaviour does not demand that agents are  implemented  using the social commitment model, our model nonetheless can be used in agent implementation to simplify the specification of agent behaviour through the use of "commitment operators" attached to the performatives (as policies) in the subsumption lattice.The primary contribution of this paper is to show how FIPA's performatives can be mapped onto a theory of social commitment to allow observable social behaviour and conformance to social norms.
['Robert C. Kremer', 'Roberto A. Flores']
Using a performative subsumption lattice to support commitment-based conversations