The Information School of the University of Washington Introduction to frameworks and paradigms? INFO 310

The Information School of the University of Washington Frameworks Traditional/ Physical Social/ Psychological User oriented Problem oriented Cognitive viewpoint Sensemaking Social constructionism Human Information Behavior

The Information School of the University of Washington Frameworks and paradigms System or physical paradigm Social/ psychological view user oriented paradigm Cognitive view Sensemaking Social constructionism

The Information School of the University of Washington The system or physical paradigm Objective view of information Users seen as mechanistic and passive User behavior predicted according to general variables - age, income Atomistic - focus on user’s interaction with system; point of contact only focus on external behaviors; contact with system is indication of need and behavior individuality regarded as chaotic quantitative

The Information School of the University of Washington Objective Information information has constant meaning a commodity or thing. can be transported reflects an absolute correspondence with reality –It will convey the same meaning to all users.

The Information School of the University of Washington Mechanistic Passive Users Users are regarded as information processing systems Being informed or benefiting from information is assumed to result directly from document delivery with no intervening user behaviour

The Information School of the University of Washington Transituationality Users with similar characteristics in similar situations will react in similar ways, use information similarly and make similar decisions. The information behavior of users is described in ways that apply across situations.

The Information School of the University of Washington Atomistic View of Experience The focus is on user behaviour at the point of intersection with the information system The moment of contact and exchange

The Information School of the University of Washington External Behavior Very concrete Contact with a system is the basic indicator of information need Focus on what can be observed as overt behaviour

The Information School of the University of Washington Chaotic Individuality Focus on individual information behavior will cause too much variation Systems cannot accommodate individual interpretation Individuality means chaos and prevents systematic research

The Information School of the University of Washington Sociological and psychological approaches Sociological approach to information behavior 60’s... –views the individual user of information systems as part of a complex of other systems all of which affect the person’s information behavior

The Information School of the University of Washington Sociological and psychological approaches –factors outside the information system ought to be studied if we are to interpret information behavior accurately the person’s social situation the individual’s problems the use to which the information will be put

The Information School of the University of Washington Sociological and psychological approaches Psychological approach –reinforces the sociological perspectives –takes account of the user’s internal state as it interacts with the external factors identified by the sociological approach

The Information School of the University of Washington User oriented paradigm subjective information constructivist active user situationality wholistic views of experience internal cognitions systematic individuality qualitative research

The Information School of the University of Washington Subjective information Information does not transmit constant meaning Information users interpret information and create sense or meaning in accordance with their unique model or image of the world

The Information School of the University of Washington Constructivist Active Users The user constructs need out of situations and is actively involved in information transfer The user undertakes activities that will induce sensemaking The user is actively involved from the time the information problem arises to the point of problem resolution

The Information School of the University of Washington Situationality An individual ’ s responsiveness to information is governed by a range of variables that are unique to the individual and to the information problem that the individual is engaging Individuals operate from different centres at different times

The Information School of the University of Washington Wholistic View of Experience A user ’ s behavior is studied in terms of those factors that lead to an encounter with an information system and the consequences of such an encounter A broader view of information behaviour from the time need arises to when it no longer exists

The Information School of the University of Washington Internal Cognitions Acknowledges the premise that what is going on inside a person ’ s mind (the individual ’ s model of the world) will shape the way information is interpreted and used Interested in what people think as well as what they do when they engage in information behavior

The Information School of the University of Washington Systematic Individuality The complexity of individuality can be addressed in a way that is consistent with scientific investigation.

The Information School of the University of Washington Problem orientation A change in perception –away from seeing information as only about something –towards seeing information as having an effect on something –concentrating on problems rather than questions

The Information School of the University of Washington Problem dimensions A focus on problems continuum from questions to problems to sensemaking Problems the initial state the goal state the processes - mental physical or perceptual that move the user from initial state to goal state

The Information School of the University of Washington 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 is central to the information retrieval interaction

The Information School of the University of Washington A problem orientation (Saracevic, 1988) Internal and cognitive aspects The problem State or problem Space Problem Intent Internal knowledge state Public knowledge expectation

The Information School of the University of Washington The cognitive view… (B.C. Brookes) Any processing of information - whether perceptual or symbolic - is mediated by a system of categories or concepts, which, for the processing device, are a model of its world (De Mey) K[s] +i = k[s +s] Knowledge structure Information Modified knowledge structure

The Information School of the University of Washington The cognitive view (Ingwersen) The world model consists of knowledge structures. These are determined by the individual and social/ collective experiences, education and training etc.

The Information School of the University of Washington Sensemaking SituationUses (Helps) Gap faced Gap bridged Questions answered, ideas formed, resources obtained Strategies used info values sought Discontinuity Condition

The Information School of the University of Washington Sensemaking moment Situation GapUse (Help) Circling the experience Each moment is potentially a sensemaking moment

The Information School of the University of Washington Social Constructionism Essential premise –The primary human reality is about people in conversation –communication and conversation are used to structure and organize social reality –focus on public and social not private and subjective

The Information School of the University of Washington Social contructionism Emphasizes the negotiation of meaning –reality construction through discourse –there is no versionless reality –rejects monologism and replaces this with dialogism –the most important things take place in interaction, in discursive practices between people not within the individual cut off from his or her social relationships

The Information School of the University of Washington Social constructionism Assumes that we construct versions of reality between ourselves Knowledge is something people do together rather than an individual possession