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Information Seeking Processes and Models. Dr. Dania Bilal IS 530 Fall 2007. Charting your information seeking. Class Activity On a piece of paper, chart your information seeking process from the time you have an information need to fulfill to the time it is met or unmet. Information Seeking.
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Information Seeking Processes and Models Dr. Dania Bilal IS 530 Fall 2007
Charting your information seeking • Class Activity • On a piece of paper, chart your information seeking process from the time you have an information need to fulfill to the time it is met or unmet.
Information Seeking • Process of finding information to fill a knowledge gap • Need information to make a decision • Need to learn about something • Need to answer a question • Need to increase own knowledge about a subject of interest • Need information to fill other needs
Information Seeking • User interaction with IRs and sources to negotiate information need: • Consult a professional human intermediary • User mediation/reference process • Consult friends, colleagues, classmates • Self-service
Information Seeking Models • Represent how people search for information in specific environments and how they interact with IRs and/or traditional sources to satisfy information needs • Models vary based on what researchers investigate • Commonality across user information seeking
Information Seeking Models • Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process Model • Ellis’ Behavioral Model • Marchionini’s Information Process Model • Wilson’s Problem-Solving Model • Belkin’s Anomalous State of Knowledge (ASK) • Bate’s Berrypicking model
Kuhlthau’s ISP Model • Information Search Process model (ISP) • Based on five studies in naturalistic settings • Emphasis on user thoughts, feelings, and actions rather than on systems • Undergraduate students; validated with high school students
Kuhlthau’s ISP Model • Information search process from the user’s perspectives Six stages: 1. Task initiation 2. Topic selection 3. Prefocus exploration 4. Focus formulation 5. Information collection 6. Search closure See Kuhlthau’s 2004 article, pp. 44-50.
Ellis’ Behavioral Model • David Ellis describes 8 information seeking patterns of social scientists, physical scientists, and engineers in using hypertext (e.g., the Web). • Starting (Surveying) • Chaining • Monitoring • Browsing • Differentiating (Distinguishing) • Filtering • Extracting • Verifying • Ending
Ellis’ Model See D. Turnball, 2.1.1.1-2.1.1.2.
Marchionini’s Model • Problem solving approach to understanding information seeking process in the electronic environment • Eight processes that may work in parallel: • Problem recognition, Problem definition, Selection of system/source, Problem articulation (query formulation), Search execution, Examination of results, Extraction of desired information; Reflection, Iteration, and Stopping of search process
Wilson’s Problem-Solving Model • T.D. Wilson’s 1997 model • Goal-directed towards problem solving • Based on a survey of research in the health field • Users move from uncertainty to certainty through the problem-resolution process
Wilson’s Problem-Solving Model • Stages: • Problem identification • Problem definition • Problem resolution • Solution statement • Model has affective dimensions • Stages are sequential and non-linear
Belkin’s ASK Theory • ASK (Anomalous State of Knowledge) “The cognitive and situational aspects that were the reason for seeking information and approaching an IR system” (Saracevic, 1996). • Knowledge gap (anomaly) and the need to solve it
ASK Model • Definition • A recognition by an individual that his/her model of some aspect of the external world and of her/her position in it with respect to some particular situation is insufficient and knowledge is needed to reduce uncertainty • Contributions of ASK • Reinforced the certainty of the user’s needs
ASK Model • Recognized the iterative nature of information retrieval • users return to the IR system repeatedly to satisfy their information needs • Move towards system design that is user- rather than system-centered (people rather than documents)
Bate’s Berrypicking Model • Marcia Bates examined the search behavior of researchers who were experts in a particular field (e.g., engineers, chemists, social scientists) • Researchers do not make a single search across collections…
Bate’s Berrypicking Model • they move across a variety of sources as follows: • Bit-at-a-time retrieval: not a direct route from information need to final retrieved set. • Searching changes direction, pauses, and meanders as the user reads retrieved documents, follows up on leads, and responds to shifts in thinking. • New information gives users new ideas, new directions to pursue, and a new conception of their information needs.
Bate’s Berrypicking Model • Researchers’ information needs and the queries they use to represent them these needs in systems are continually shifting: evolving search, dynamic, non-linear
Bates’ Berrypicking Model • User information needs are not the same and they do change during the search process