Collaborative information seeking: An investigation of community members' behavior

Purpose： This article reports on an experiment that tested community members＇ collaborative information seeking （CIS） behavior, with an emphasis on how community type and task difficulty can affect user behavior and user awareness in collaboration.Design/methodology/approach： We carried out a laboratory study with 18 participants in 9 pairs using an experimental CIS system. Data were collected from questionnaires, Web logs and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and two-way analysis of variance （ANOVA） were used for data analysis. Findings： Compared with non-community members, community participants had a better understanding of search tasks and were aware of the ways of completing tasks successfully. They did not depend on the information retrieval system when constructing search queries and would adopt diversified cooperation strategies. They were more likely to recommend information to their partners. However, no significant difference was found between subject- based community and interest-based community in CIS practices and user awareness in collaboration. In addition, task difficulty only influenced user preference of issuing queries and confidence of completing search tasks. Research limitations： Our work was limited by the community type we chose and the small group size, which could affect the generalizability of our findings and should be addressed in future studies. Practical implications： The study results will help inform information system designers as they design collaborative systems to facilitate social communication in the information seeking process. Originality/value： Few studies have investigated community participants＇ information seeking practices. This study provides insights into community-based CIS behavior. The findings will help us understand social interactions among community members during their information seeking process.

Information seeking and anxiety among colonoscopy-na?ve adults: direct-to-colonoscopy vs traditional consult-first pathways

AIM To investigate the effects of direct to colonoscopy pathways on information seeking behaviors and anxiety among colonoscopy-na?ve patients.METHODS Colonoscopy-na?ve patients at two tertiary care hospitals completed a survey immediately prior to their scheduled outpatient procedure and before receiving sedation.Survey items included clinical pathway(direct or consult),procedure indication(cancer screening or symptom investigation),telephone and written contact from the physician endoscopist office,information sources,and pre-procedure anxiety.Participants reported pre-procedure anxiety using a 10 point scale anchored by "very relaxed"(1) and "very nervous"(10).At least three months following the procedure,patient medical records were reviewed to determine sedative dose,procedure indications and any adverse events.The primary comparison was between the direct and consult pathways.Given the very different implications,a secondary analysis considering the patient-reported indication for the procedure(symptoms or screening).Effects of pathway(direct vs consult) were compared both within and between the screening and symptom subgroups.RESULTS Of 409 patients who completed the survey,34% followed a direct pathway.Indications for colonoscopy were similar in each group.The majority of the participants were women(58%),married(61%),and internet users(81%).The most important information source was family physicians(Direct) and specialist physicians(Consult).Use of other information sources,including the internet(20% vs 18%) and Direct family and friends(64% vs 53%),was similar in the Direct and Consult groups,respectively.Only 31% of the 81% who were internet users accessed internet health information.Most sought fundamental information such as what a colonoscopy is or why it is done.Pre-procedure anxiety did not differ between care pathways.Those undergoing colonoscopy for symptoms reported greater anxiety [mean 5.3,95%CI: 5.0-5.7(10 point Likert scale)] than those for screening colonoscopy(4.3,95%CI: 3.9-4.7).CONCLUSION Procedure indication(cancer screening or symptom investigation) was more closely associated with information seeking behaviors and pre-procedure anxiety than care pathway.

Research on the Model of Consumer Health Information Seeking Behavior via Social Media

Purpose: We aim to create a model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media, then to have a better understand of it. After that further efforts should be made to provide targeted recommendations for media managers to promote health communication via social media. Methods: Our custom model was derived from literature review, empirical research was tested by the use of questionnaire investigation, and then the collected data were analyzed by structural equation model tool SmartPLS. Finally, the custom model was modified according to the experimental results of SmartPLS. Results: A total of 239 (66.39%) of the respondents were female and 121 (33.61%) were male. The maximum of two stages of age were 18 - 29 (70.56%), 30 - 39 (13.89%). Wechat (60.28%), QQ Zone (55.22%), Micro-blog (48.89%) were the most commonly used social media to obtain health information. About 44.72% of respondents used social media to obtain health information multiple times a day. The whole numerical values of AVE, cronbach’s alpha, CR and square roots of AVE were above the benchmarks of themselves and showed great reliability and validity. All the 11 hypotheses had obvious statistical significance, the P-value of eight path coefficients exhibited <0.001, one path coefficient exhibited <0.01 and two path coefficients exhibited <0.05. Conclusions: A suitable model of consumer health information seeking behavior via social media was created and some inner relationships were found. Namely, gratification of health information and its platform had a positive effect on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior. Health information literacy and health status were proved to have a significant influence on attitudes toward health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control respectively. In addition, attitudes toward the health information seeking behavior, subject norms and perceived behavioral control were proved to positively associate with health information seeking behavior intention.

Understanding information seeking behavior of rural women:Field studies in China

Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior,with an emphasis on exploration of the intervening variables that influence information needs and information seeking behavior.Design/methodology/approach:The sample consisted of 27 women from 9 villages in Gansu Province,Anhui Province and Tianjin City,China.Data were collected through in-depth individual interview.Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to analyze the data.Findings:Chinese rural women’s needs are basically tied to agricultural technologies,employment and health information.Social network,rather than the Internet,serves as the most frequently used information channel.Women’s cognitive ability,social role and their living environment are the 3 intervening variables that have an impact on their information needs and their information seeking behavior.Research limitations:This qualitative research is based on a small sample and conducted on specific socio-economic settings in China,which may restrict the generalization and application of relevant findings in other settings and countries.Practical implications:The study results will help librarians and information professionals better understand Chinese rural women’s information needs and information seeking behavior in an effort to find ways to solve problems they may encounter in their information seeking process.Originality/value:This paper introduced an analysis framework that provides an integrated perspective on understanding information needs and information seeking behavior of Chinese women in rural areas.

Introduction to information seeking behavior—A review of literature and field practice directions

The article tries to discover the major authors in the field of information seeking behavior via social network analysis. It is to be accomplished through a literature review and also by focusing on a graphic map showing the seven most productive coauthors in this field. Based on these seven authors' work, five probable research directions about information seeking behavior are discerned and presented.

An initial study of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members

Purpose:This study was carried out to uncover the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.Design/methodology/approach:An inventory encompassing 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior was developed:Information awareness,information acquisition,information evaluation,information organization and management,information utilization and information ethics.Data was collected on 306 respondents from 52 faculty/student teams in Central South University in China and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software.Findings:Significant differences were found among researchers with different genders in information awareness and in different academic disciplines in information acquisition and information utilization.The survey shows the characteristics of information seeking behavior of different gender groups and different teams:1) male participants got higher scores in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior;2) small teams performed best,followed by middle-sized teams and large teams;3) faculty/doctoral student teams possessed better information seeking skills than faculty/master’s student teams or faculty/doctoral and master’s student teams:4) medical teams achieved the highest level in all of the 6 dimensions of information seeking behavior,whereas natural science teams the lowest level.Medical and engineering teams were rated higher than other teams in information acquisition and information utilization.Research limitations:The small population size and doctoral students accounting for only a small portion of the respondents in the sample limit the generalization of our findings.Practical implications:The findings of this study have some implications for research and practice,especially for educational institutions,library science and information literacy training.Originality/value:This paper is the first to describe and analyze the characteristics of information seeking behavior of researchers as faculty/student team members.

An empirical study of everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income residents in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou, China

This paper reports an investigation on everyday life information seeking behavior of urban low-income group in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou City. Empirical data were collected via in-depth interviews with low-income urban residents and were analyzed using qualitative methods. This paper discusses the research findings based on the more noticeable results of information seeking behavior among these people. Our approach touches on a focused study of such issues as what the role of information seeking in their everyday life is, what information they care about, which information channels they prefer to use, which factors influence their information seeking behavior, how difficult it is to seek the information they need, and how they use public libraries. Based on our research findings, we propose that public libraries should provide customized information services for urban low-income residents according to the unique characteristics of their information seeking behavior in everyday life.

Seeking Health Information Online:The Moderating Effects of Problematic Situations on User Intention

Purpose： This study investigates how online user intention in searching health information is affected by problematic situations.Design/methodology/approach： Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Technology Acceptance Model, and Sense-making theory, we propose two dimensions of problematic situations： urgency and severity of health issues being searched online. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey among 214 Wuhan University students and analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis.Findings： Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norm can influence user intention to seek health information online. The urgency of problematic situations has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between perceived ease of use and user intention and the relationship between subjective norm and user intention. The severity of problematic situations has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between subjective norm and user intention.Research limitations： The respondents of the survey are limited to students in one Chinese university, so whether this study＇s results can be applied to another population or not remains to be verified. In addition, only two dimensions of problematic situations are considered in this study. Practical implications： The paper puts forward the moderating effect of problematic situations and verifies it, which is the compensation for online health information-seeking behavior research. Besides, our analyses have implications for professional design of health care systems and related consumer information searches, and improve their performance. Originality/value： Previous work has reported the effects of problematic situation on user intention to seek health information online, ignoring its influence on other factors. This empirical study extends that work to identify the influence of problematic situation when seeking intention-behavior data in two dimensions, urgency and severity.

Developing the information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop a standardized and reliable measurement tool for assessing information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approach: Based on information literacy and information-seeking behavior theories, expert advice and students' interview, items of undergraduates' informationseeking behavior indicators were selected. With the analysis of homogeneity reliability, item analysis and factor analysis, this study constructs an assessment system to evaluate reliability and validity of the scale.Findings: The information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has divided undergraduates' information-seeking behavior into seven dimensions, which include 46 items. The reliability analysis of Cronbach's α was 0.910, and the coefficient of split-half reliability was0.817. The results of factor analysis showed that Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin(KMO) was 0.864,which indicates 55.536% of the total variation could be explained by the above seven dimensions.Research limitations: Due to a small sample size and limited sample distribution, further research need be conducted in an expanded sample size in order to explore the application scope of this evaluation system; in addition, the stability of the scale also need be confirmed.Practical implications: The paper sets up an information-seeking behavior evaluation system for undergraduates and explores the characteristics of their information-seeking behavior.This study provides guidance for the development of future information literacy education and the improvement of the information literacy level of undergraduates.Originality/value: An information-seeking behavior scale for undergraduates has been developed, which comprehensively covers information need, information source, information evaluation, information retrieval, information management, information utilization and information morality. The scale is proved to have good reliability, validity, popularity anddiscrimination that it is qualified to be an assessment tool of information-seeking behavior for Chinese undergraduates.

Use of sport-related concussion information sources among parents of United States middle school children

Objective:Parents may use various information sources to obtain information about sport-related concussions(SRC).This study examined SRCrelated information sources used by parents of United States middle school children(age:10-15 years).Methods:A panel of 1083 randomly selected U.S.residents,aged≥18 years and identifying as parents of middle school children,completed an online questionnaire capturing parental and child characteristics,and utilization and perceived trustworthiness of various sources of SRC-related information.Multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with utilizing each source.Adjusted odds ratios(OR)with 95%confidence intervals(95%CIs)excluding 1.00 were deemed significant.Results:Doctors/healthcare providers(49.9%)and other healthcare-related resources(e.g.,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,WebMD)(37.8%)were common SRC-related information sources;64.0%of parents utilized≥1 of these sources.Both sources were considered“very”or“extremely”trustworthy for SRC-related information among parents using these sources(doctors/healthcare providers:89.8%;other healthcare-related resources:70.9%).A 10-year increase in parental age was associated with higher odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers(adjusted odd ratio(OR_(adjusted))=1.09,95%CI:1.02-1.16)and other healthcare-related resources(OR_(adjusted)=1.11,95%CI:1.03-1.19).The odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers(OR_(adjusted)=0.58,95%CI:0.40-0.84)and other healthcare-related resources(OR_(adjusted)=0.64,95%CI:0.44-0.93)were lower among parents whose middle school children had concussion histories versus the parents of children who did not have concussion histories.Conclusion:One-third of parents did not report using doctors/healthcare providers or other healthcare-related resources for SRC-related information.Factors associated with underutilization of these sources may be targets for future intervention.Continuing education for healthcare providers and educational opportunities for parents should highlight accurate and up-to-date SRC-related information.

Malaysian Teacher Trainees＇ Competencies of Accessing, Evaluating, and Applying Information Ethically in Research Process

The case study attempts to discover with certainty the competency of accessing, evaluating and applying information in research process acquired by undergraduate trainees of Malaysian Teacher Education Institute in the northern region of Peninsula Malaysia. Considered as highly important skills that trainee teachers have to acquire a comprehensive understanding of information literacy to pursue a research. Yet, it is a pivotal fact indicated by recent researchers that most future teachers often enter teaching without the necessary information literacy skills and knowledge in research process. The scope of study is based on full-time final year undergraduate trainee teachers for the Educational Degree Programme doing their school based action research in the states of Kedah, Perlis, and Penang. The study analyzes problems and issues faced by these trainee teachers tied up to information literacy competency in doing research process. The study investigates trainees＇ competencies of accessing, evaluating, and applying information ethically in their research process. The findings hope to give insights to stake holders on the ways to move forward in terms of needs, process and outcomes in accordance with the Malaysian National Information Literacy Agenda.

Information behaviors of Chinese K-12physical education teachers:A survey study

Purpose: Given the unique characteristics of physical education(PE) teaching in K-12education,PE teachers' information behaviors deserve special attention.This article reports a survey study of PE teachers' information behaviors,covering information literacy skills and behaviors of information seeking and information use.Design/methodology/approach:A questionnaire survey was conducted of K-12 PE teachers in the Tianjin municipal region of China,with a response rate of 61.9%.Findings:PE teachers lack skills with information retrieval systems in general.The Internet continues to be their primary information source,and they rely more on personal collection and colleagues than the school library for teaching materials.They rarely develop a searching strategy,employ querying tactics,or use advanced search functions,and they tend to be content with finding a few relevant articles.Research limitations:The survey is limited to the Tianjin municipal region in scope.Though attempting to reach 210 participants from 40 schools,it yielded only 130 valid responses.A larger survey covering more regions and with greater responses may be useful.Practical implications:Insights from this study inform the educational and on-job training of K-12 PE teachers to improve their information literacy skills.Originality/value:Little research exists on PE teachers' behaviors of information seeking.This study bridges the gap and enriches our understanding of K-12 teachers' information behaviors.

Evaluating information-seeking approaches to metacognition

Metacognition has been divided into information monitoring and control processes. Monitoring involves knowing that you know or do not know some information without taking corrective action. Control involves taking corrective action based on the knowledge that you know or do not know some information. In comparative metacognition, considerable attention has been paid toward critically assessing putative evidence for information monitoring in non-human animals. However, less attention has been paid toward critically evaluating evidence for control processes in animals. We briefly review a critique of information-monitoring in animals. Next, we apply these concepts to a number of studies that focus on information seeking in animals. The main type of evidence for control processes in animals come from tube tipping experiments. Before having the opportunity to search for the bait in these experiments, the subject sometimes observes opaque tubes being baited but is sometimes prevented from seeing the baiting. The observations that the subjects look more if baiting was not seen and are more accurate if baiting was seen have been taken as evidence for metacognition in information-seeking experiments. We propose simple alternative hypotheses that are sufficient to explain putative evidence for information seeking in animals without positing metacognition. The alternative explanation focuses on two relatively simple principles： First, an animal has a default ＂look before you go＂ response which supersedes random searches in space. Second, spatially guided behavior follows a default rule of ＂go where something good is.＂ These principles can explain the results of tube tipping experiments without proposing metacognition [Current Zoology 57 （4）： 531-542, 2011].

Development and validation of a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool for metastatic breast cancer patients(MBC-PsySoc-Well-being).Methods Applying a mixed method approach,the study was conducted in two phases.Phase 1,a focus group method was employed for item development,and three focus group sessions were conducted,with patients,caregivers,and medical professionals,respectively.Phase 2,validity and reliability testing were performed.Five experts reviewed items for content validity.Construct validity,criterion-related validity,internal consistency,and test-retest reliability were conducted among a sample of 53 patients with metastatic breast cancer.Results Six themes were qualitatively analyzed based on focus group participants’responses.Eight items were then developed based on these themes.The index of Item-Objective Congruence scored by the experts ranged from 0.6 to 1.0.An exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors:Being curious and active in information seeking,Enthusiasm to return to a normal life,and Adjusting to positive lifestyle.The total scores of MBC-PsySoc-Well-being and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer’s Quality of Life Core Questionnaire(EORTC QLQ-C30)were moderately correlated(r=0.404,P=0.003).Cronbach’sαcoefficient of the overall scale was 0.686.Pearson correlation coefficients of items between two tests within 14-day ranged from 0.410 to 0.673.Conclusion This study represents an initiative to develop a rapid psychosocial well-being screening tool for patients with metastatic breast cancer.The results from validity and reliability testing indicate that the scale is moderately suitable for application to patients with metastatic breast cancer.However,a larger scale study should be further administered to confirm the validity and reliability of the measurement.

A discussion of the emotive element of knowledge service practice:An empirical study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences

With the arrival of the information age, research activities focused on the practice and approaches of knowledge services are on a marked increase as evidenced in the publications of social sciences. According to a social network analysis on knowledge service related literature, it reveals that information and knowledge workers often fail to take such an important element as the functional role of an emotive engagement into consideration in their study of knowledge services. It has increasingly become an issue of high profile with the rapid development of digital libraries and their web-based knowledge services in China and anywhere else in the world. In order to have a clearer understanding about issues involved in knowledge servicing so as to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of digital libraries in their knowledge service performance, the author has conducted surveys for seven times on the online information seeking behavior of graduate students at the Chinese Academy of Sciences with such research methods as questionnaires, interviews and natural observations during September 2006-June 2009. The research result has showed the emotive element has an important role in the user's information seeking behavior and in knowledge services practice. Therefore, knowledge services rendered may be more effective by adding the emotiveness-oriented communication element into such practice. This paper recommends that such an emotiveness-oriented communication approach should be carefully studied and factored into libraries' knowledge services practice.

Investigating the relationships between emotional experiences and behavioral response

The Covid-19 pandemic produced a complex combination of intense negative emotions among the general public,influencing people's coping reactions toward the pandemic.Yet each discrete emotion may affect people's behaviors in different ways.Unveiling the specific emotion–behavior relationships can provide valuable implications for designing effective intervention programs.Through the lens of the appraisal theory of emotion,we assessed the relationships between negative emotions and pandemic-related behaviors among the Chinese population midst the early outbreak of the pandemic.An anonymous online survey was distributed to mainland of China participants(n=2976),which assessed individuals'emotional states and behavioral reactions to the pandemic.Consistent with the differential appraisal theme underlying each negative emotion as delineated by the appraisal theory,mixed relationships between emotions and pandemic-related behaviors were revealed.Specifically,anxiety was positively associated with behaviors of seeking pandemic-related information,sharing such information,and stockpiling preventive goods,yet,contrary to prediction,anxious people were reluctant to adopt preventive measures,which is maladaptive.Sad people sought information less frequently and exhibited lower intention to stockpile preventive goods;but,opposing prediction,they shared information less frequently.Angry people were more active in sharing information and in stockpiling preventive goods.These findings suggest that public health practitioners can utilize the emotion–behavior relationships to identify the vulnerable individuals who tend to adopt maladaptive coping behaviors,help them address emotional distress,and encourage their adoption of effective coping behaviors.

Brain Systems Underlying Fundamental Motivations of Human Social Conformity

From birth to adulthood,we often align our behaviors,attitudes,and opinions with a majority,a phenomenon known as social conformity.A seminal framework has proposed that conformity behaviors are mainly driven by three fundamental motives:a desire to gain more information to be accurate,to obtain social approval from others,and to maintain a favorable self-concept.Despite extensive interest in neuroimaging investigation of social conformity,the relationship between brain systems and these fundamental motivations has yet to be established.Here,we reviewed brain imaging findings of social conformity with a componential framework,aiming to reveal the neuropsychological substrates underlying different conformity motivations.First,information-seeking engages the evaluation of social information,information integration,and modification of task-related activity,corresponding to brain networks implicated in reward,cognitive control,and tasks at hand.Second,social acceptance involves the anticipation of social acceptance or rejection and mental state attribution,mediated by networks of reward,punishment,and mentalizing.Third,self-enhancement entails the excessive representation of positive self-related information and suppression of negative self-related information,ingroup favoritism and/or outgroup derogation,and elaborated mentalizing processes to the ingroup,supported by brain systems of reward,punishment,and mentalizing.Therefore,recent brain imaging studies have provided important insights into the fundamental motivations of social conformity in terms of component processes and brain mechanisms.