Affective and cognitive searching behavior of novice end‐users of a full‐text database

Abstract

Novice end users were given 2 hours of training in searching a full-text magazine database (Magazine ASAP™) on DIALOG. Subjects searched during three to four sessions in the presence of a trained monitor who prompted them to think aloud throughout the sessions. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts and transaction logs yielded empirical information on user variables (purpose, motivation, satisfaction), uses of the database, move types, and every question users asked during the searches. The spontaneous, naturalistic questions were categorized according to affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor speech acts. Results show that most of the searches were performed for the self and were work-related. The most common use of the database was to retrieve full-text articles online and to download and print them out rather than read them on screen. The majority of searches were judged satisfactory. Innovative uses included browsing for background information and obtaining contextualized sentences for language teaching. Searchers made twice as many moves to limit sets as moves to expand sets. Affective questions outnumbered cognitive and sensorimotor questions by two to one. This preponderance of affective micro-information needs during searching might be addressed by new system functions. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.