Changing Beliefs about Domain Dynamics in the Situation Calculus

Agents change their beliefs about the plausibility of various aspects of domain dynamics -- effects of physical actions, results of sensing, and action preconditions -- as a consequence of their interactions with the world. In this paper we propose a way to conveniently represent domain dynamics in the situation calculus to support such belief change. Furthermore, we suggest patterns to follow when writing the axioms that describe the effects of actions, and prove how these patterns can control the extent to which observations change the agent's beliefs about action effects. We also discuss the relation of our work to the AGM postulates for belief revision. Finally, we show how beliefs about domain dynamics can be incorporated into a form of regression rewriting to support reasoning.