Toward a unified model of human information behavior: an equilibrium perspective

Pages666-688
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JD-06-2016-0080
Date10 July 2017
Published date10 July 2017
AuthorJiqun Liu
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet
Toward a unified model of human
information behavior:
an equilibrium perspective
Jiqun Liu
Department of Library and Information Science,
School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University New Brunswick,
New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to build a unified model of human information behavior (HIB) for
integrating classical constructs and reformulating the structure of HIB theory.
Design/methodology/approach This paper employs equilibrium perspective from partial equilibrium
theory to conceptualization and deduction, starting from four basic assumptions.
Findings This paper develops two models to incorporate previous HIB research approaches into an
equilibrium-analysis-oriented information supply-demand (ISD) framework: first, the immediate-task/
problem-based and everyday life information-seeking (ELIS)-sense-making approaches are incorporated into
the short-term ISD model; second, the knowledge-construction-oriented and ability-based HIB research
approaches are elaborated by the long-term ISD model. Relations among HIB theories are illustrated via the
method of graphical reasoning. Moreover, these two models jointly reveal the connection between information
seeking in immediate problematic situations and long-term ability improvement.
Originality/value The equilibrium framework enables future research to explore HIB from three
perspectives: stages: group the classical concepts (e.g. anomalous state of knowledge, uncertainty) into different
stages (i.e.start state, process,goal state) and see how theyinteract with each otherwithin and across different
stages; forces: explore information behaviors and information-related abilities as information supply and demand
forces, and see how different forces influence each other and jointly motivate people to pursue the equilibriums
between outside world and mental model; andshort term and long term: study the connections betweenshort-
term information seeking and long-term ability improvement at both theoretical and empirical levels.
Keywords Economics, Information searches, Information science, Mathematical modelling,
Individual behaviour, Information theory
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
As a major research field of library and information science (LIS), human information
behavior (HIB) has occupied LIS researcherssince even before the term information science
per se was coined (Wilson, 1999). For decades, the research area of HIB has sought to study
human behaviorrelated to information seeking,searching, retrieving,organizing, interpreting,
and use (Spink and Cole, 2004). According to Wilson (2000), information behavior can be
defined as the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information,
including both active and passive information seeking and information use.Moreover,
Wilson (2000) indicates that information-seeking approach is a dominant approach in HIB
research and theory development.Nevertheless, other approacheshave also been emphasized
in an extensivebody of LIS literature, as information-seeking problem-solving approach alone
is not sufficient to explain highly diversified information behaviors in this information age
(Case, 2012). These relevant and often interdisciplinary approaches mainly include everyday
life information-seeking (ELIS)-sense-making approach, information-foraging approach, and
information use approach (Spink and Cole, 2006). For each of the four approaches, HIB
researchers have developed corresponding theoretical frameworks to depict and explain
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 73 No. 4, 2017
pp. 666-688
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-06-2016-0080
Received 12 June 2016
Revised 14 January 2017
Accepted 18 January 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm
The author would like to thank the two anonymous referees of this paper for pointing to overlooked
literature and for their insightful comments which helped to improve the manuscript significantly.
666
JD
73,4
informationbehaviors of both individualsand groups in various contexts(e.g. academic, work
related, and everyday life).
While the research field of HIB has flourished with the emergence, verification, and
proliferation of diverse conceptual frameworks, scholars often encounter obstacles when
striving for a more concise and unified understanding of HIB itself. Despite the efforts on
integrating different models and approaches both within HIB area (cf. Sonnenwald and
Livonen, 1999; Spink and Cole, 2006; Wilson, 1999) and between different areas (e.g. Robson
and Robinson (2013) build a unified model to bridge information-seeking behavior with
communication process), HIB theories and research are still more or less susceptive to the
inconsistency of constructs and the lack of common ground. This situation creates a sizeable
space for divergent interpretations on similar conceptions and thus initiates endless debates
on the ways to integrate existing HIB theories. Consequently, there are two critical relations
which still remain ambiguous and may need further elaboration: first, the relation between
impetus (e.g. information needs, uncertainty, or anomalous state of knowledge (ASK)) and
information-seeking process; second, the relation between information seeking
and information use. To tackle these issues, two tasks need to be noticed, analyzed, and
completed: first, the underlying assumptions which could support that the integration of
HIB theories need to be clearly stated and logically sound; second, built upon these
assumptions, a more unified and concise framework needs to be construed for an in-depth
explanation of the interplay of impetus, information seeking, and information use.
Particularly, to remedy the aforementioned inconsistency among existing conceptual
models, this paper seeks to properly analyze, associate, and synthesize the core concepts
and theories from HIB field via mathematical deduction.
Besides the assumptions, as another preparation for theoretical integration, the author
draws an analogy between the equilibrium perspective of HIB which the author intends to
develop, and the equilibrium of goods supply and demand which is a foci of the partial
equilibrium theory (PET) emerging from Marshallian Economics (Reder, 1952). To expand
this analogical conceptu alization in a rigorous manne r, the author constructs a
mathematical model to illustrate an individuals information-seeking and use behavior
which is driven jointly by the information supply force (ISF) (consists of the abilities and
resources in seeking relevant information) and the information demand force (IDF) (consists
of the information needs and the abilities regarding information use of individuals
encountering uncertainty, cognitive gap, or perceived complexity of tasks). This model can
serve as a template for further research on the interactions among impetus, information
seeking, and information use in the light of a more unified HIB perspective, and may also
stimulate a larger body of quantitative and interdisciplinary research in HIB area.
Since the big leap from classical HIB theory to PET-based equilibrium analysis may
cause confusions, the theoretical cornerstones and rationales of this leap or analogy will be
fully elaborated in the following sections.
Toward the application of mathematical modeling in the integration of HIB
theories
For decades, mathematical models have served as powerful engines supporting the rapid
development of social sciences, since they can effectively bridge real-world phenomenon
with academic quantitative statement. In several academic disciplines, such as economics,
political science, and psychology, scholars employ mathematical modeling as a primary
technique for developing theories and illustrating constructs because of its clarity,
conciseness, and great potentials to explore dynamic processes in both behavioral and
societal contexts (Coombs, 1983; Fagen, 1961; Stauffer and Solomon, 2007). Particularly, the
supply-demand paradigm, which is arguably the starting point of economic analysis, was
proposed based upon the early combination of rational economic man assumption and
667
Unified model
of human
information
behavior

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