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Behavioral decision making is an area of multidisciplinary research attracting growing interest of scientists and practitioners, economists, and business people. A wide spectrum of successful theories is present now, including Prospect theory, multiple priors models, studies on altruism, trust and fairness. However, these theories are developed for precise and complete information, whereas real information concerning a decision maker's (DM) behavior and environment is imperfect, qualitative, and, as a result, often described in natural language (NL). We suggest an approach based on modeling a DM's behavior by a set of states. Each state represents a certain principal behavior. In our approach, states of nature and DM's states constitute a single space of combined states. For formalizing relevant information described in NL, we use fuzzy set theory. The utility model is based on Choquet-like integration over combined states. The investigations show that Expected Utility, Choquet Expected Utility and Cumulative Prospect Theory are special cases of the suggested approach. We apply the suggested approach to solving a benchmark and a real-life decision problem. The obtained results show validity of the suggested approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we highlight some fundamental issues of knowledge management and cast them in the setting of Granular Computing (GrC). We show how its formal constructs - information granules are instrumental in knowledge representation and specification of its level of abstraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce an advanced architecture of genetically optimized Hybrid Fuzzy Neural Networks (gHFNN) and develop a comprehensive design methodology supporting their construction. A series of numeric experiments is included to illustrate the performance of the networks. The construction of gHFNN exploits fundamental technologies of Computational Intelligence (CI), namely fuzzy sets, neural networks, and genetic algorithms (GAs). The architecture of the gHFNNs results from a synergistic usage of the genetic optimization-driven hybrid system generated by combining Fuzzy Neural Networks (FNN) with Polynomial Neural Networks (PNN). In this tandem, a FNN supports the formation of the condition part of the rule-based structure of the gHFNN. The conclusion part of the gHFNN is designed using PNNs. We distinguish between two types of the simplified fuzzy inference rule-based FNN structures showing how this taxonomy depends upon the type of a fuzzy partition of input variables. As to the conclusion part of the gHFNN, the development of the PNN dwells on two general optimization mechanisms: the structural optimization is realized via GAs whereas in case of the parametric optimization we proceed with a standard least square method-based learning. To evaluate the performance of the gHFNN, we experimented with three representative numerical examples. A comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed gHFNN come with higher accuracy as well as superb predictive capabilities when compared with other neurofuzzy models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce and study a new concept of fuzzy computing units. This construct is is aimed at coping with "negative" (inhibitory) information and accommodating it in the language of fuzzy sets. The essential concept developed in this study deals with computing units exploiting the concept of balanced fuzzy sets. We recall how the membership notion of fuzzy sets can be extended to the [-1,1] range giving rise to balanced fuzzy sets and then summarize properties of augmented (extended) logic operations for these constructs. We show that this idea is particularly appealing in neurocomputing as the "negative" information captured through balanced fuzzy sets exhibits a straightforward correspondence with inhibitory processing mechanisms encountered in neural networks. This gives rise to interesting properties of balanced computing units when compared with fuzzy and logic neurons developed on the basis of classical logic and classical fuzzy sets. Illustrative examples concerning topologies and properties and learning of balanced fuzzy computing units are included. A number of illustrative examples concerning topologies, properties and learning of balanced fuzzy fuzzy computing units are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We firstly review some fundamentals of fuzzy relation calculus and, by recalling some known results, we improve the mathematical contents of our previous papers by using the properties of a triangular norm over [0, 1]. We make wide use of the theory of fuzzy relation equations for getting lossy compression and decompression of images interpreted as two-argument fuzzy matrices. The same scope is achieved by decomposing a fuzzy matrix using the concept of Schein rank. We illustrate two algorithms with a few examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce a notion of stability of information granules. Granulation of information results in a series of chunks of information usually referred to as information granules. Information granules are basic building entities involved in the formation of a broad class of systems. Information granules are percepts — entities being perceived by humans as being essential when working with some real-world phenomena, especially describing and interacting with them. The percepts need to be comprehensible. They should also reflect the experimental evidence. All in all, they should be stable meaning that they are conceptual entities that reconcile experimental reality with the subjective and ultimately observerbased judgment about the environment. Once being stable, information granules could be viewed as architecture-independent. The proposed algorithmic environment supporting this concept dwells on the ideas of statistical inference that helps quantify stability through a nonparametric testing. The Χ² goodness-of-fit test is used here as a validation mechanism. First, the study elaborates on the formation of information granules and concentrates on the descriptive and prescriptive ways of their design. In the sequel, it is revealed how these two ways interact with the construction of stable information granules. A number of experimental studies are also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]