Strength change explanations in quantitative argumentation
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
kampik, timotheus
Yin, Xiang
Potyka, nico
Toni, francesca
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
In order to make argumentation-based inference contestable, it is crucial to explain what changes can achieve a desired (instead of the contested) inference result. To this end, we introduce strength change explanations for quantitative (bipolar) argumentation graphs. Strength change explanations describe changes to the initial strengths of a subset of the arguments in a given graph that can achieve a desired ordering based on the final strengths of some (potentially different) subset of arguments. We show that the existing notions of inverse and counterfactual problems can be reduced to strength change explanations. We also prove basic soundness and completeness properties of our strength change explanations, and demonstrate their existence and non-existence in some special cases. Applying a heuristic search, we demonstrate that we can often successfully find strength change explanations for layered graphs that are common in typical application scenarios, although limitations remain for the general problem.
Date Acceptance
2025-12-19
Citation
Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
Publisher
nternational Foundation for Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
Journal / Book Title
Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems
Copyright Statement
Subject to copyright. This paper is embargoed until publication. Once published the Version of Record (VoR) will be available on immediate open access.
Source
Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2026)
Publication Status
Accepted
Start Date
2026-05-25
Finish Date
2026-05-29
Coverage Spatial
Paphos, Cyprus