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INFO 414 Information Behavior
What is information behavior?
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Information behavior
The totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information seeking, and information use (Wilson, 2000)
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Information seeking behavior
The purposive seeking for information as a consequence of a need to satisfy some goal. (Wilson, 2000)
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Information searching behavior
The micro-level of behavior employed by the searcher in interacting with information systems of all kinds (Wilson, 2000)
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Information use behavior
The physical and mental acts involves in incorporating the information found into the person’s existing knowledgebase (Wilson, 2000)
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Human Information Behavior
The study of how individuals need, seek, give and use information in different contexts, such as the workplace, school and everyday living.
Embeds cognitive, physical, and affective factors
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Why do you care?
What happens when the user meets the information professional>
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Information practice is about proving information that may become…
Knowledge for action by actors
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Rational for INFO 414
The key to effective information provision through resources, services and systems lies not in the increased sophistication of technology, but rather on our increased understanding of human involvement with information.
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What/Who are information users?
Actors
Clients
End-users
User groups
Discourse communities
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You are an information user
Introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you. Tell them everything that you know about your characteristics as an information user and about your information using.
Categorize the characteristics of the information user beside you
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Are all information users the same?
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Information Need
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Conceptual Development
Information Need
Problem State
Uncertainty
Anomalous State of Knowledge
Discontinuity Condition
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Information Needs
Arise in all aspects of everyday, personal and professional life: the home, the office, in relations with family or friends or the insurance company, out of idle curiosity, or as a requirement of work.
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Information needs
Arise whenever individuals find themselves in a situation requiring knowledge to deal with the situation as they see it.
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Types and characteristics of information needs
Brainstorming
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Characteristics of Information Needs
Importance (immediate v.s. deferred)
Frequency (recurring v.s. new)
Predictability (anticipated v.s. unexpected)
Complexity (easily resolved v.s. difficult)
Causation (internal v.s. external)
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Information need types
By nature of expected answer
Known item need – the answer that is required is a known item
Subject need – the answer that is required is information on a particular subject
By generator of the need
Self need - a need generated by the person who is looking for the answers
Proxy need - a need generated by another person (imposed need)
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Information Need
Taylor (1968)
research into question negotiation in reference interviews
examines the psychological state that first motivates a person to engage in information behaviour
information need is problematic
it hinges on an internal, inexpressible psychological state
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Taylor (cont)
Stages of information need development
Visceral – a sense of uneasiness
Conscious – ill-defined
Formalized – can describe the need in concrete terms; can make the need explicit
Compromised – need as translated in the system’s language
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A problematic situation
Wersig (1979)
the situation of an individual whose internal models of environment, knowledge, actions etc are insufficient to attain the appropriate goals - that is, whose model of the situation is such that it may require input from external resources in order to attain the degrees of certainty required for reasonable action
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Anomalous State of Knowledge (ASK)
Individuals engage in information behavior when...
their states of knowledge concerning some particular situation or topic are considered by them as somehow being insufficient or inadequate for that situation; that is, there are anomalies (gaps, uncertainties, lack of relation or concepts etc) in their conceptual state of knowledge concerning the topic, which they perceive as needing to be resolved in order to achieve their goals.
(Belkin et al., 1982)
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A Problem State
Belkin, (1984)
the state of the user in the problem treatment process
the topic and type of problem the user is facing
the user’s state of knowledge about the problem
the goals intentions and background of the user
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A Problem Orientation (Saracevic, 1988)
no such thing as information need in the abstract but rather circumstances that lead to information behavior
there is more to a question than the words expressing it
viewing the problem behind the question rather than the information need as central to the information retrieval interaction
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A Problem Orientation (Saracevic, 1988)
Internal and cognitive aspects
Problem
Intent
Internal knowledge state
Public Knowledge expectation
The problem state
External and environmental aspects
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Sensemaking Theory...
assumes a discontinuity condition as constant for human beings
discontinuity forces steps to be taken to construct sense in life situations that are constantly changing
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Uncertainty Principle... (Kuhlthau, 1993)
the information seeking process is a progression from uncertainty to understanding accompanied by a range of feelings and actions on the part of the information seeker
uncertainty due to lack of understanding, a gap in meaning, or a limited construct initiates the process
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Information Seeking
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Information Seeking
How an individual goes about obtaining information
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Types of Information Seeking
Purposive – immediate need
Gathering – deferred need
Serendipitous / Accidental Encountering
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Factors Affecting Information Seeking
Seeker’s awareness of need and sources
Seeker’s past experiences, professional practice
Source Characteristics:
Formal (book) v.s. Informal (conversation)
Internal (inside organization) v.s. External
Format / Presentation
Timeliness
Cost (financial, physical, social)
Accessibility
Trustworthiness (accuracy, quality)
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Types of
Information Seeking
by Level of Purpose
Surfing: Browsing through a source of information, just to see what it has, without a particular information need.
Encountering: “Bumping” into information that can resolve a particular information need when doing other things.
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Surfing
Examples:
Reading the daily newspaper
Watching programs on TV
Visiting a bookstore
Surfing the Web
Other examples?
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Encountering
Also called:
Accidental discovery of information
Incidental information acquisition
Can happen when:
Searching for information to resolve another need
Surfing
Any other activity
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Information searching
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Search behavior
What people do and/or, as far as can be determined, what they think when they search
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Search Process
Kuhlthau (1991)
"..the user's constructive activity of finding meaning from information in order to extend his or her state of knowledge on a particular problem or topic."
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Search Techniques or Tactics
Bates (1979)
a move made to further a search
Belkin and Vickery (1985)
methods, heuristics, tactics or plans that can be used by people in searching manual or automated information systems
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Search Strategy
Bates (1979)
the study of the theory, principles and practice of making and using search strategies and tactics
Belkin and Vickery (1985)
a plan for the whole search on a question or topic
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Search Strategies
Browsing Strategy: Intuitive scanning following leads by association without much planning ahead.
Analytical Strategy: Explicit consideration of attributes of the information need and of the search system
Empirical Strategy: Based on previous experience, using roles and tactics that were successful in the past
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Search Strategies
Known Site Strategy: Entering a URL to retrieve a particular site.
Similarity Strategy: Find successful information based on a previous successful example that is similar to the current need.
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Information evaluating
How users decide if the information they obtained is relevant to their need, that is, if it can resolve their need.
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Class Exercise
Analyze the searching behavior of the other member of the team:
What search strategies were used?
What methods were used?
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Information evaluating
Major Issues:
The subjective nature of relevance judgment
The levels of relevance
Factors affecting relevance
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Information Giving
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Information Giving
The act of disseminating messages using different media, including oral, print, electronic, physical gestures
Part of a communicative event
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Types of Info Giving
Simple: inquirer is given information without further probing
Complex: comprises giving the same information but after probing to determine the inquirer's real underlying need
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Triggers for Info Giving
A user asks for information directly
A user raises a topic about which the giver has information
A user describes his/her situation to the giver what has information that can help
A user behaves (or shows signs) in a certain way that prompts the giver to give information that will help
A giver expects to receive needed information in return
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Strategies for Info Giving
Tailoring complete information to the attributes of a particular need
Planting a nugget (giving in anticipation of a situation)
Pushing, or, making a case for the need of information
Presenting information and asking for feedback
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Information Use
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Information Use
People’s subsequent actions upon receiving information and how they perceive that information helped (or did not help) in dealing with a situation.
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Information use
Outcomes of Information Seeking
Satisfy immediate info need/ solve problem
Store for future use
Create new information need through feedback
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Some HIB Principles
The decision to seek or not to seek information is affected by many factors
There are individual differences in how people seek information
People seek information first from their own experience, then from interpersonal sources, especially people like themselves
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Some HIB Principles
People seek information that is most accessible, and face-to-face communication is a primary source
People follow habitual patterns when seeking information and use search strategies, institutions and systems which they have used successfully in the past.
People phrase questions and seek information in terms of their mental models of the system or source
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Some HIB Principles
People seek information from sources based on the degree to which they are perceived as being helpful, trustworthy, and providing reliable information
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Some HIB Principles
How information is provided can be as important as the information itself
People want understanding and sometimes emotional support from the sources they consult, and sources that do so are considered as helpful, despite whether they provided accurate information or not