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An exploratory study of social aspects of task-based information seeking behavior
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Rha, Eun Youp. An exploratory study of social aspects of task-based information seeking behavior. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-n6c3-n105

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TitleAn exploratory study of social aspects of task-based information seeking behavior
NameRha, Eun Youp (author); Belkin, Nicholas J (chair); Radford, Marie L (internal member); Shah, Chirag (internal member); Byström, Katriina (outside member); Rutgers University; School of Graduate Studies
Date Created2020
Other Date2020-05 (degree)
SubjectInformation seeking behavior, Information behavior, Communication, Information and Library Studies
Extent1 online resource (xiv, 214 pages)
DescriptionThis dissertation aims to explore social aspects of task-based information seeking behavior. It examines how individuals are influenced by their social context when they engage in a task and information seeking for the task. The main theoretical framework of the study is cognitive sociology that recognizes individuals’ mental acts as socially shaped. The study is designed as a qualitative case study using a cross-context comparative approach, which compares cognition and behavior of individuals in different social contexts. Data were collected from twelve individual scholars in two academic disciplines as the type of social contexts: natural sciences and humanities, using either one-on-one interviews or a diary study. A specific task type commonly performed in the two groups was chosen for the inquiry of their task-related cognition and behavior: writing a research proposal to gain external funding for one’s scholarship. The qualitative data were analyzed through the open coding process and compared between the two groups.

The findings reveal that the process of individuals’ task-based information seeking is influenced by their disciplines. Specifically, social norms and social practices of the disciplines affected how the individuals perceive a task, attend to information problems of the task, and seek and use information for the task. These findings suggest individuals’ socio-cognitive activities that occur in the process of task-based information seeking: socially constructed understanding of a task and relevance to a task. Based on the findings, a novel model of task-based information seeking behavior was developed, which highlights social factors (social norms, social practices) and socio-cognitive factors (social understanding, social relevance).

This exploratory study generates a new idea of cognitive sociological aspects of information seeking behavior by showing the existence of influences of the social context on individuals’ cognitive activities while interacting with a task and information. This new approach to information seeking behavior helps advance understanding of the relationships between information seeking behavior and social contexts. It further contributes to developing information systems for specific sociocultural communities with particular focus on their collective cognitive structures related to information seeking and use. 
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-n6c3-n105
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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