Difference between Procedural and Declarative Knowledge

We may present information in numerous forms to the inference engine in the computer system to address the problems. There are two types of knowledge representations: procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. The main distinction between these two knowledges is that the declarative representation only describes the information but not the mechanism for putting the knowledge into action. On the other hand, procedural representation includes control information as well as knowledge.

In this article, you will learn the difference between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. But before discussing the differences, you must know about procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge with their example.

What is Procedural Knowledge?

Procedural knowledge is often referred to as interpretive knowledge. It is the type of information that clarifies how something can be completed. Procedural knowledge offers the critical control data needed to implement the knowledge. It is not popular because it is rarely used. It mainly emphasizes how to do something to solve a given problem.

Example:

Let's take an example to understand this process.

Output

[ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ]

What is Declarative Knowledge?

Declarative knowledge is often known as functional knowledge. It specifies what to do to perform a specific task, and it specifies the function to be performed. Hence, only the knowledge is provided in declarative knowledge, but no control information to implement the knowledge. To use this knowledge, you should combine it with a program that specifies what is to be done to the knowledge and how it is to be done. It is more popular knowledge than procedural knowledge.

Example:

Let's take an example to understand this process.

Output

[ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ]

Key differences between Procedural Knowledge and Declarative Knowledge

There are various key differences between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. Some of the key differences between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge are as follows:

1. Procedural knowledge offers the knowledge of how a specific task can be completed. On the other hand, declarative knowledge offers the fundamental knowledge of anything.
2. Procedural knowledge is achieved from action, experience, and subjective insight. In contrast, declarative knowledge is achieved from procedures, artifacts, processes, and concepts.
3. The procedural knowledge is complex to communicate. On the other hand, Declarative knowledge is simple to articulate, communicate, copy, process, and store.
4. The nature of procedural knowledge is process-oriented. In contrast, the nature of declarative knowledge is data-oriented.
5. Procedural knowledge is less commonly utilized. In contrast, Declarative knowledge is more utilized than procedural knowledge.
6. Procedure knowledge is mainly focused on the "How" of a topic. In contrast, declarative knowledge is mainly focused on the "What" of the concept.
7. In procedural knowledge, debugging is not easy. In contrast, declarative knowledge makes debugging relatively simple.

Head-to-head comparison between Procedural Knowledge and Declarative Knowledge

Here, you will learn the head-to-head comparisons between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. The main differences between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge are as follows:

Conclusion

Procedural and declarative knowledge may be easily differentiated by defining where control information is stored and whether it is utilized consciously or unconsciously. Conscious perception and conscious planning are both involved in procedural knowledge. On the other hand, declarative knowledge excludes conscious perception and planning.