---
title: "An Application of AI Techniques to Structuring Objects into an Optimal Conceptual Hierarchy"
authors:
  - "Ryszard S. Michalski"
  - "Robert E. Stepp"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1981/89"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1981/0089.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Seventh International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1981
pages: "460-464"
track: "Theoretical Foundations"
keywords:
---

# An Application of AI Techniques to Structuring Objects into an Optimal Conceptual Hierarchy

Ryszard S. Michalski, Robert E. Stepp

*Proceedings of the Seventh International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 460-464.

## Abstract

A aethod of "learning froa obaervation" 1a preaented which atructurea a collection of objecta into hierarchlea of aubcategoriea, auch that each aubcategory ia characteriaed by a conjunctive deacription involving relatione on aelected object attribute&. The conjunctive deacriptiona aprouting froa each node are ~tually diajoint and optimal aa a group accordiQ& to a flexibly defined criterion. Each level of the hierarchy ia deterained by an iterative proceaa which repetitively applies a veraion of the A* aearch algoritha. Experiaenta with the prograa CLUSTEI/PAF iaplementing the method indicate that the obtained hierarchiea represent aolutiona which have a aiaple conceptual interpretation and which aeea to agree well with the way people atructure objecta.