The%20Cognitive%20Perspective%20in%20Information%20Science%20Research

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The Cognitive Perspective in Information Science
Research

• Anthony Hughes
• Kristina Spurgin

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Cognition

• Illumynyd she is wyth clere cognycyoun In hyr
  soule -Osbern Bokenham Seyntys, 1447 (L.154)
• Cognition
• The understanding, acquisition, and processing of
  knowledge, or, more loosely, thought processes.

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Cognitive Science

• Cognitive science
• Kinds of knowledge underlying cognition
• Details of cognitive processing
• Computational modeling of these processes
• Computers Psychology Linguistics Cognitive
  Science!

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General Topic Areas in Cognitive Science

• Perception
• Thinking
• Learning
• Knowledge representation
• Language

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Perception

• Stimuli ? simple perceptual objects
• Matching of simple perceptual objects to stored
  representations of objects
• Visual processing and imagery

Applications in LIS

• Human Computer Interaction

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Thinking

• Reasoning
• Problem solving
• Decision-making

Applications in LIS

• Information seeking
• Relevance judgments
• Information literacy training
• Think-aloud research methods

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Learning

• Machine and human learning
• Psychology and representations of learning
• Memory
• Encoding and retrieval

Applications in LIS

• Information retrieval
• User studies
• Bibliographic instruction and reference work

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Knowledge Representation

• Methods by which information is stored in the
  mind for later use
• Understanding, designing, and implementing
  representations of information in computers

Applications in LIS

• Taxonomy
• Thesauri
• Classification schemes
• Ontologies

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Language

• The relationship between language and cognition
• Rules of language and their processing
• Syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
• Language acquisition and comprehension

Applications in LIS

• Natural Language Processing
• Latent semantic indexing
• Controlled vocabulary development
• Information extraction

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Measures of Cognition - Quantitative

• Cognitive ability
• Absolute judgments of stimuli
• Cognitive style
• Embedded Figures Test (field dependence vs. field
  independence)
• Cognitive Styles Analysis (holistic vs.
  analytical cognitive style)
• Cognitive Style Index (intuitive vs. analytic
  cognitive style)

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Measures of Cognition - Quantitative

• Cognitive space
• Stimulus pairing
• Linguistic
• Spatial

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Measures of Cognition - Qualitative

• Concept mapping
• Think-aloud or verbal protocol
• Card sorting
• Free-listing

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Readings
Cognitive Information Science as it was applied
in the readings
Theory
Research
Ingwersen
Todd
Kim Allen
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Cognitive and Task Influences on Web Searching
Behavior (Kim Allen)

• Independent Variables (across both studies)
• Cognitive style (field dependence vs.
  independence)
• Problem solving ability/style
• Search engine used
• Cognitive ability (perceptual speed, spatial
  scanning, logical reasoning
• Task
• Dependent Variables (across both studies)
• Search performance/outcome (precision/recall)
• Search activities (mouseclicks, links followed
  etc)
• Findings (across both studies)
• Task had main interaction effect across studies
• Cognitive ability and problem solving style
  interacted with task effect to influence search
  activity
• Questions
• Do you agree with the way cognitive science
  measures were applied in this study?
• If task if main determinent, how do we design
  systems that support breadth of searchers and
  their tasks?

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Back to our beginnings(R. Todd)

• Information utilization
• acting/doing
• thinking/acting/doing
• Cognitive Behavioral change
• Measurement
• Instrumental symbolic
• Conceptual what is happening in peoples minds
  when they do something with information.
• Bertram Brookes
• KS ?I KS ?S
• Study
• Change in knowledge states regarding heroin
• Initial knowledge map
• Exposure to information
• Successive mapping and exposure
• Findings
• Complete picture / changed picture / clearer
  picture / verified picture / position in picture
• Questions
• Is this empirical research?
• Can we hope to measure cognitive change?

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Cognitive Information Retrieval (Ingwersen, P.)

• See Figure
• Questions
• Where does cognitive science fit within this
  picture?
• What does it have to add?
• Is the holistic cognitive view of IR a theory?
• Where does the role of affect or emotion fit
  within this theory?

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Holistic view of IR cognition
Individual view of IR cognition
Communication through information processing
Cognitive Free Fall
User
Intermediary
System
Human
Human or System
Polyrepresentation
FeedbackQuery Expansion
InformationNeed
Work Task
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Model of Ingwersens IR process
From Wilson, T.D. (1999) Models of Information
Behaviour Research. Journal of Documentation,
vol.55(3) pg. 249-270