1 an evolutionary and developmental framework for information behavior professor amanda spink...

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An Evolutionary and Developmental Framework for Information Behavior

Professor Amanda Spink

Queensland University of Technology

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My Talk

New directions in our understanding of peoples’ information behavior.

1. Evolutionary framework for information behavior

2. Developmental framework for information behavior

3. Integrated framework for information behavior

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Contemporary Information Behavior Focus

Information Behavior is the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information

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Contemporary Information Behavior Focus

Major focus on:- Modeling contemporary human

information behaviors- Information seeking problem solving

approach- Social, personality, cognitive and cultural

aspects of contemporary information behavior.

- Information behaviors can longitudinal, iterative and complex

- May include interaction with information technologies, e.g., OPACs, Web

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What is IB Research Missing?

Based on new approaches in the social sciences – what is information behavior research missing?

Evolutionary framework – based on Evolutionary Psychology studies

Developmental framework – based on Developmental Psychology studies

Integrated framework – integration of IB approaches

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Evolutionary Framework for Information Behavior

Information behavior is an important human socio-cognitive ability and competency.

Spink, A., & Cole, C. Information behavior: A sociocognitive ability. Evolutionary Psychology, 5(2), 257-274.

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Evolutionary Framework for Information Behavior

Socio-cognitive ability as an attribute or trait that is unique and unusual to humans, e.g., language

Alexander’s Ecological Dominance and Social Competition (EDSC) model (1990) currently provides the most comprehensive overview of human traits in the development of a theory of human evolution, sociality and socio-cognitive abilities.

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Evolution of Information Behavior

Evolutionary psychology can help us understand how information behavior has evolved – key issues:

How has human information behavior evolved?

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How has information behavior affected human evolution?

How has evolution affected information behavior?

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Donald (1991)

Development of a theory of cognitive evolution

Modern human mind developed from the primate mind through a series of major adaptations

Emergence of a new representational system building on the cognitive vestiges of earlier stages

Development of a modern human cognitive architecture

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Mithen (1996, 1998)

First symbolic representations occurred because of a dramatic transformation in human cognitive architecture.

Allowing homo-sapien hunter-gatherers to survive while other human species (Neanderthals) did not.

Hunter-gatherers became more efficient at exploiting their environment, more able to cope with environmental extremes, and more flexible in social behaviour.

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Wynn & Coolidge (2003, 2004)

Information behavior evolved from Neanderthals when Homo sapiens experienced enhanced working memory (EWM) capacity

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Led to Homo sapiens enhancement of specific human cognitive capabilities, including - integrated action across space and time, response inhibition and preparation.

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Enhanced cognitive information processing ability to hold a variety of information in active attention.

Gave Homo sapiens develop managed foraging systems and agriculture.

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EWM gave Homo sapiens an advantage in collecting, processing and retrieving associated structures from memory that led to creative or in habitual reactions when performing a task.

Led to the development of information behaviors as important socio-cognitive ability and also human libraries.

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Developmental Framework for Information Behavior – Lifetime Model

Developmental psychology tells us that human lifetimes consist of transitions in an individual’s development.

An individual’s information behavior develops as a socio-cognitive ability from childhood, adolescence to adulthood.

What are the transitions in the cognitive and cultural development information behavior development?

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Human Development?

Human development – the ways in which children grow to become healthy, educated and productive members of societies and nations.

Human development – continues throughout childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

Development psychology – studies human development including changes across generations and during the life course.

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Rogoff (2003) Human Development

Lack of generality of human development stages across situations from individual development trajectories.

Dichotomy between cognitive and social/cultural forces

Combination of genetic and environmental influences

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Few regularities that characterise patterns of cultural processes

Cognitive development occurs in natural contexts of human interaction distributed across time and space.

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Cultural aspects of human development, such as transitions across the life span, gender roles, interpersonal relations, cognitive development and socialisation.

Child and adult performances in certain skills reveal changes in age, in learning, memory, conceptualising, language, reasoning and problem solving - scaffolding of learning.

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Information Behavior Development

Need for research to determine the patterns of variation and similarities in cognitive development and cultural practices that contribute the development of information behavior.

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Integrated Framework for Information Behavior

Information behavior – integrating various approaches, including both active and passive information behaviors

Information foraging Information seeking Information sense-making/everyday life information seeking

Information organising Information use

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Spink & Cole (2006): Integrated Information Behavior Model

ELIS Sense-makingCoherence Mastery of Life

Mastery of LifeSmall Worlds CoherenceProblem Problem Problem Problem ProblemSolving Identification Definition Resolution Presentation

ASK Gap

Information Diet/ Scent/Attention PatchesForaging Maximizes Gains

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Key Research Challenges

Evolutionary Framework - Understanding how information behavior evolved as a socio-cognitive ability

Developmental Framework - Lifetime developmental models of people’s information behaviors

Integrated Framework - Integrated information behavior model

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Key Research Challenges

Help develop and promote positive change across the human lifespan and develop positive interventions

Help people learn and think more about their information behaviors

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References

Spink, A., & Cole, C. Information behavior: A sociocognitive ability. Evolutionary Psychology, 5(2), 257-274.

Spink, A., & Cole, C. B. (2006). Human information behavior: Integrating diverse approaches and information use. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(1) 25-35.

Spink, A., & Cole, C. B. (Eds.). (2006). New Directions in Human Information Behavior. Dordrecht: Springer.

Spink, A., & Currier, J. (2006). Toward an evolutionary perspective on human Information behavior: An exploratory study. Journal of Documentation, 62(2), 171-193.

Spink, A., & Jansen, B. J. (2004). Web Search: Public Searching of the Web. Dordrecht: Springer.

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Questions?

Thank You