8.2.3 Description of the Ontology
The ontology is described in three parts. First, there is a diagrammatic representation of the high-level knowledge objects and the relationships that exist between them (described below). Note, that the knowledge objects represent an individual’s personal knowledge, not the concepts themselves. For example, the object “events” represents the person’s knowledge of events, not the events themselves. Second, there is explanatory text for each of the high-level knowledge objects (described below). Third, there is a taxonomy for each of the high-level knowledge objects (see Personal Knowledge Ontology).
8.2.3.1 Network Representation
Figure 16 shows a diagrammatic representation of the high-level knowledge objects and the relationships that exist between them. For clarity, some relationships have not been shown, particularly those related to ‘events’ and ‘beliefs’.
Figure 16: Network diagram showing the high-level objects in the ontology and the associated relationships
8.2.3.2 Explanatory text for each high-level knowledge objects
A brief description of each of the knowledge objects shown in Figure 16 follows.
People: Knowledge of the characters in a person’s life. Examples include the self, significant others, admired others, and hypothetical others (such as ‘the ideal me’, ‘me as others see me’, ‘me in 5 years time’), and stereotypical others (such as ‘a good boss’, ‘a poor teacher’, ‘an ideal parent’). People have a life history, have beliefs, have abilities, reside in places, have jobs/roles, make decisions, have aspirations, have relationships, have characteristics, exist in states, and perform actions. Events happen to a person and affect all aspects of the person’s life.
Events: Knowledge of the discrete happenings that a person is involved in. Types of events include single events, complex events (such as multiple similar events e.g. mum had lots of miscarriages, and distributed events e.g. they did a lot for the church), generic events and hypothetical events. Events have event properties and are part of a person’s life history. Events affect all aspects of a person.
Incidents: Knowledge of the types of event that are beyond the control of a person, such as accidents, illnesses, deaths, redundancies and socio-political occurrences (such as wars).
Event Properties: Knowledge of the properties of events. These include the valence of the event (such as positive e.g. I went on holiday, and negative e.g. I wasn’t allowed to go on holiday), emotive-ness (e.g. it was good, it was dreadful), the effect on people, etc.
Life History: Knowledge of the biographical history of a person’s life. A life history is made up of events and segmented into time periods.
Time Periods: Knowledge of the main phases that constitute a person’s life history. Time periods are often defined by two main factors (1) the places resided in, educated in and worked in, and (2) the jobs/roles occupied.
Actions: Knowledge of the events in which a person is a main actor. Actions can be tangible (involving something of the physical world) or intangible (a cognitive action, such as reflections and realisations). Actions are a form of transition that moves a person from one state to another.
States: Knowledge of the temporary characteristics that a person can exist in. Examples include emotions (e.g. happy, sad, and excited), cognitive states (e.g. ambitious, creating), and physical states (e.g. tired, ill). States affect a person’s behaviour and are altered by transitions. The set of states that a person can exist in are determined by the person’s characteristics.
Transitions: Knowledge of the ways in which a person’s state is altered. The three main types of transitions are (1) actions (purposeful happenings), (2) incidents (events beyond the control of the person), and (3) the passing of time.
Characteristics: Knowledge of the stable properties of a person. Examples include a person’s traits (e.g. sociability, intelligence, niceness) and physical characteristics. Characteristics affect behaviours, determine states and are affected by events.
Behaviours: Knowledge of the actions of a person that are repeated and form patterns. Examples include particular responses to particular stimuli. Behaviours are affected by a person’s characteristics and states.
Decisions: Knowledge of the choices made by a person when there is more than one course of action available. Decisions affect a person’s actions, and are affected by a person’s aspirations and beliefs.
Aspirations: Knowledge of the ambitions, goals, motivations, wishes and desires of a person. Aspirations affect a person’s decisions and are affected by events and resources.
Resources: Knowledge of the economic, physical and cognitive capabilities possessed by, or available to, a person. Examples include money, possessions, tools and techniques. Resources affect a person’s decisions and aspirations, allow or limit a person’s actions, and are affected by a person’s jobs/roles.
Abilities: Knowledge of the physical and cognitive aptitudes and resources possessed by a person. Examples include the capability of the person to perform certain actions in certain ways. Abilities affect, and are affected by, a person’s interests.
Beliefs: Knowledge of the ways in which a person thinks about various aspects of their life. Examples include thoughts, ideas, opinions, attitudes (likes and dislikes), priorities, perspectives, expectations and second order beliefs (i.e. beliefs about beliefs). Beliefs affect a person’s interests and decisions, and are affected by events.
Interests: Knowledge of the domains and subjects with which a person is involved. Interests can be at work (occupation, subject areas, expertise) and outside work (e.g. pastimes, hobbies, arts, crafts, voluntary work, religion).
Places: Knowledge of the locations in which a person resides or visits for work or social occasions. Places are an important factor in defining time periods.
Jobs/Roles: Knowledge of the occupations and/or positions held by a person. Jobs/roles exist both inside work and outside work in various organisations and social situations. Jobs/roles affect a person’s resources and are an important factor in defining time periods.
Relationships: Knowledge of the interactions of a person with significant others. Relationships include having beliefs concerning one another and inter-personal actions. Relationships affect, and are affected, by events.
A fuller description of these objects, the ways in which they are related and examples taken from the content analysis can be found at Personal Knowledge Ontology.