Models of information behavior
Thursday, 5 July 2018
Today we will go over a number of information behavior models and discuss how they provide a mechanism for explaining and understanding theory. We will also discuss theoretical constructs and variables.
- Wilson, T.D. (1999) Models in information behaviour research Journal of Documentation, 55(3) 249-270. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000007145
- Fidel, R. (2012). Theoretical constructs and models in information-seeking behavior. In Human Information Interaction: An Ecological Approach to Information Behavior (Ch. 3, pp. 49–82). Cambridge, Massachussetts: The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262017008.003.0005
Fidel (2012) lays out several different types of models:
- Action models
- Element models
- Mixed models
Some of the theoretical models we encounter can be thought of as process models as well, because they describe a chain of steps in a process, rather than simply the relationships between constructs.