Conceptualization in ontology based on Peirce’s triadic model of the sign: a qualitative content analysis
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-08-2021-0091 |
| Published date | 06 June 2022 |
| Date | 06 June 2022 |
| Pages | 56-65 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Library & information services,Lending,Document delivery,Collection building & management,Stock revision,Consortia |
| Author | Khadije Moradi |
Conceptualization in ontology based
on Peirce’s triadic model of the sign:
a qualitative content analysis
Khadije Moradi
Department of Information Science, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to identify the effective components in object interpretation based on Pierce’s triadic si gn model to determine how
meaning is created and identify the components affecting conceptualization in ontology.
Design/methodology/approach –A qualitative approach was adopted, and 6320 comments posted on the Instagram pages of five groups
forming the research population were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.
Findings –Concepts are dynamic and context-oriented. Over time, a person’s concepts and mental patterns about an object are altered or
eliminated. Social, political and economic conditions, governance, technology, interactions, language, environmen t, culture and social habits
contribute to object interpretation and meaning creation.
Practical implications –In designing ontologies, especially in a context-dependent field, attention should be paid to users’mental preconceptions,
mental patterns, context and personal characteristics. Instead of using words, researchers can use visual and multimedia signs. In addition to logic,
statistics and computer science, personal and anthropological characteristics should be considered in the ontolog y design.
Originality/value –This study dealt with conceptualization, which is a principal component of ontology. Using Pierce’s triadic model sign and
unstructured Instagram data, ontology was studied from a user and pragmatic viewpoint, independently of technical aspects.
Keywords Ontology, Sign, Qualitative content analysis, Semiotics, Conceptualization, Peirce’s triadic model
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Library and information scientists as well as different theoretical
views have always attempted to meet users’needs. In information
retrieval, traditional systems focused on the syntactic structure of
concepts and performed the information search process by
matching user keywords with those already stored in the
information system (Manning et al.,2008). A semantic approach
has been proposed to improve the performance of these systems.
In this approach, meaning and structure are added to the
information content and used to search and extract the answer to
the user’s question (Fazzinga and Lukasiewicz, 2010). The
semantic approach uses ontology to promote information retrieval
from text adaptation to concept adaptation (Park et al., 2011).
The primary origin of ontology is philosophy. In this view, the
entire universe consists of entities conceptually related to one
another. These relationships form an intertwined network of
concepts, creating an image of the universe (Safari, 2005). For
the first time, artificial intelligence applied the philosophical
concept of ontology to knowledge engineering, natural language
processing, knowledge representation and other domains. Based
on a review of the literature, the most widely used definitions of
ontology in library and information science are those provided by
Gruber (1995) and Guarino and Giaretta (1995), according to
whom ontology is a knowledge representation tool sharing an
ordinary meaning between information producers and users of
information retrieval systems. This shared meaning is the
outcome of contextual analysis through which words and
concepts are used. Accordingly, concepts, the relationships
between concepts and the context constitute the main
components of ontology. Identifying concepts and establishing a
relationship between concepts in a context forms a definition of
conceptualization, which is an essential component of ontology
(Safari, 2005). The existence of different definitions of ontology
is due to differences in conceptualization, which attempts to
represent meaning. However, the main questions are:
Q1. What is meaning?
Q2. How does conceptualizationhelp construct meaning?
Hall (1997) defines meaning as transferable concepts. In his
view, cognition results from the relationship between three
components of cognitive agent, subject of cognition and tools
of cognition. Using his/her cognitive tools, the cognitive agent
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-6247.htm
Information Discovery and Delivery
51/1 (2023) 56–65
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2398-6247]
[DOI 10.1108/IDD-08-2021-0091]
The author would like to express his special thanks of gratitude to his
Supervisors Dr Amir Ghaebi and Dr Masoumeh Karbala Aghaee Kamran
who gave me the opportunity to do this research and for my guidance on
the topic.
Received 23 August 2021
Revised 10 November 2021
14 January 2022
23 March 2022
Accepted 20 April 2022
56
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