Trustworthiness Of Information Sources Research Articles

Maize farmers’ use, preference, and trustworthiness of information sources and communication channels in Dormaa, Ghana: A gender comparison.

Maize farmers’ use, preference, and trustworthiness of information sources and communication channels in Dormaa, Ghana: A gender comparison.

Cognitive Authority as an Instance of Informational and Expert Power

Abstract The study elaborates the picture of the relationships between information and power by examining how informational and expert power appear in the characterizations of cognitive authority presented in the research literature. The study draws on the conceptual analysis of 25 key studies on the above issues. Mainly focusing on Patrick Wilson’s classic notion of cognitive authority, it was examined how informational power and expert power are constitutive of authority of this kind, and how people subject to the influence of cognitive authorities trust or challenge such authorities. The findings indicate that researchers have characterized the features of expert power inherent in cognitive authority by diverse qualifiers such as competence and trustworthiness of information sources considered authoritative. Informational power has mainly been approached in terms of irrefutability of individual arguments and facts offered by cognitive authorities. Both forms of power are persuasive in nature and information seekers can trust or challenge them by drawing on their experiential knowledge in particular. The findings also highlight the need to elaborate the construct of cognitive authority by rethinking its relevance in the networked information environments where the traditional picture of authoritative information sources is eroding.

Lay Public View of Neuroscience and Science-Based Brain Health Recommendations in Slovenia.

Background: Brain health is one of the cornerstones of a long and full life. Active care for brain health and reduction of lifestyle-related risks for brain disorders may be a key strategy in tackling the growing prevalence of mental and neurological illnesses. Public knowledge, perception, and preventive behavior need to be considered in the planning of effective strategies for brain health promotion. Our research is the first effort aimed at assessing Slovenian lay public knowledge, search and use of scientific information about the brain, and care for brain health.Methods: An online survey was used to gather data for descriptive and associative statistical analyses of a sample of the Slovenian public (n = 2568) in August 2017. Participants with formal brain-related education were excluded, leaving the remaining sample of the lay public (n = 1012). Demographic characteristics and information regarding the perceived importance and knowledge of brain health and engagement in preventive behaviors of participants were collected, and key associative analyses were carried out.Results: The majority of respondents (89%) considered brain health to be important. Over one-third (39%) considered their knowledge of the brain as sufficient relative to their needs. Most of the respondents identified science-recommended practices to be important for brain health. No recommendation was followed daily by the majority of the respondents, primarily due to declared lack of time (59%), and lack of information (32%). Information was obtained primarily from television (38%), followed by newspapers and magazines (31%), the Internet (31%), and direct conversations (27%). However, the highest-rated, preferred source of information was lectured by experts. One-third of our sample struggled with the trustworthiness of information sources. Female gender and older age were associated with a higher frequency of healthy practices. Personal or familial diagnoses of brain disorders were not associated with a higher frequency of the behavior in favor of brain health, but did affect available time and perceived value of preventive practices.Conclusions: Our research provides an initial insight into the perceptions, knowledge, and brain health-promoting behavior of the Slovenian lay public. Our findings can inform future strategies for science communication, public education and engagement, and policy-making to improve lifelong active care for brain health.

Young women's preferences for contraceptive education: The importance of the clinician in three U.S. health centers in 2017-2018

ObjectiveWe explored women's preferences for contraceptive education and assess the role of the clinician in delivering this education in three U.S. health centers in 2017-2018. Study designWe recruited women ages 16 to 29 presenting for gynecologic care at 3 clinical sites. Respondents completed a survey about preferences for receipt of contraceptive information and trustworthiness of information sources. ResultsWe included 270 respondents’ surveys (77.6% of approached). Clinicians were the most preferred (87.0%) and trusted (83.5%) source of contraceptive information, and 69.0% said a clinician's recommendation made a source more trustworthy. ConclusionsClinicians are a trusted source of contraceptive information; their recommendations of other educational resources may improve acceptance by patients.

To Read or Not to Read: A Qualitative Study of Students’ Justifications for Document Selection in Task-Oriented Reading

ABSTRACTWhen navigating through the vast amount of information that we encounter in our everyday lives, we constantly make decisions concerning what information to read more closely and what information to disregard. Consideration of the relevance and trustworthiness of information sources facilitates those decisions. In the present study, we interviewed 25 upper-secondary students after they had selected documents to use in completing a task, and we asked them to justify their selections. A qualitative analysis of the interview data showed that students’ justifications could be related to (1) content relevance, (2) source features, and (3) prior topic knowledge. The results demonstrate that students are able to evaluate content relevance and source features as part of their document selection strategies but that perceived prior knowledge seems to influence both selections and justifications.

An argumentation-based approach for reasoning about trust in information sources

During a dialogue, agents exchange information with each other and need thus to deal with incoming information. For that purpose, they should be able to reason effectively about trustworthiness of information sources. This paper proposes an argument-based system that allows an agent to reason about its own beliefs and information received from other sources. An agent's beliefs are of two kinds: beliefs about the environment (like the window is closed) and beliefs about trusting sources (like agent i trusts agent j). Six basic forms of trust are discussed in the paper including the most common one on sincerity. Starting with a base which contains such information, the system builds two types of arguments: arguments in favour of trusting a given source of information and arguments in favour of believing statements which may be received from other agents. We discuss how the different arguments interact and how an agent may decide to trust another source and thus to accept information coming from that source....

Information and Communication for Rural Innovation and Development: Context, Quality and Priorities in Southeast Uganda

Purpose: To examine the status and priorities for agricultural information generation, dissemination and utilization in the context of agricultural innovation systems in southeast Uganda. Design/Methodology/Approach: Group discussions were conducted with six communities in Kamuli district, southeast Uganda. The focus was on information sources and linkages, reliability, applicability and gaps. Data were analyzed with NVIVO software. Findings: Rural community members access information from a variety of sources but its reliability and application varies according to the nature of relations with and level of trust in the various sources. Further, community members lack means and capacity to hold accountable providers of low quality information. Information linkages among actors (farmers, extension, private sector and local leaders) were also minimal. Practical Implications: Establishment of feedback loops and partnerships among actors is necessary to ensure improvements in information generation and dissemination for rural development. Originality/Value: This study demonstrates the need for efforts to improve information and communication for rural development in developing countries. Trustworthiness of information sources, strengthening partnerships among actors, continuously reviewing approaches, and addressing emerging information gaps are key priorities. In agricultural innovation systems, involvement of multiple actors in information generation and dissemination is essential.

The New Ethical Responsibilities of Internet Service Providers

As the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies and the UNESCO Observatory on the Information Society have documented, the exponential developments of internet services and resources have brought enormous benefits and opportunities to an increasing number of people. But it has also greatly outpaced our understanding of their conceptual nature and ethical implications, while raising unprecedented moral challenges, whose complexity and global dimensions are rapidly expanding, evolving and becoming increasingly serious. Examples come readily to mind. Consider the ethical issues arising from “the triple A”, namely the availability, accessibility and accuracy of informational resources, independently of their format, kind and physical support; the corresponding questions concerning standards of reliability and trustworthiness of information sources; or e-inclusion and the so-called digital divide. The more we become accustomed to living and working immersed within an informational environment, the easier it becomes to unveil the new moral difficulties that we encounter. Thus, in recent years, information societies have been forced to deal with urgent, ethical problems concerning information privacy and confidentiality, hacking (understood as the unauthorised access to a computerised information system), digital vandalism (e.g. the creation and intentional dissemination of software viruses), security, monitoring and control (including issues related to digital warfare, terrorism and a dystopian “surveillance society”), freedom of expression, censorship, filtering and contents control. Likewise, the debate about information ownership and intellectual property (including copyright and patents legislation), fair use, piracy, and the development and support of open source software affects both users and producers ethically, while morally shaping their informational environment. Inevitably, similar issues constitute a complex and potentially confusing scenario, not least because it is in constant and rapid evolution. The lack of balance is obvious and a matter of daily experience in the life of millions of citizens. Philos. Technol. (2011) 24:369–370 DOI 10.1007/s13347-011-0055-2

Barriers to adolescents' information seeking for career decision making

Nearly 400 Canadian adolescents were surveyed about their information seeking for career decision making. A written questionnaire gathered data on degree of helpfulness of various information sources and the ways in which these sources have helped and asked about some of the barriers to information seeking faced by adolescents. Thirty semistructured interviews with participants drawn from the same sample asked participants about their decision-making and information-search processes, their concerns about these processes, and the barriers they face in accessing helpful information for career decision making. This article focuses on the data related specifically to the barriers faced by the participants, revealing myriad difficulties that can hinder adolescent career decision makers. Forty percent of youth do not know where to go for help in their decision making, and 38% feel that they need to go to too many different places for the information they require. As well, the respondents revealed that trustworthiness of information sources is critical to the ultimate usefulness of the help received. The discussion suggests some avenues for further research which would advance understanding of these barriers, and makes suggestions for improved delivery of information services to adolescents making career decisions.

Barriers to adolescents' information seeking for career decision making

Nearly 400 Canadian adolescents were surveyed about their information seeking for career decision making. A written questionnaire gathered data on degree of helpfulness of various information sources and the ways in which these sources have helped and asked about some of the barriers to information seeking faced by adolescents. Thirty semistructured interviews with participants drawn from the same sample asked participants about their decision-making and information-search processes, their concerns about these processes, and the barriers they face in accessing helpful information for career decision making. This article focuses on the data related specifically to the barriers faced by the participants, revealing myriad difficulties that can hinder adolescent career decision makers. Forty percent of youth do not know where to go for help in their decision making, and 38% feel that they need to go to too many different places for the information they require. As well, the respondents revealed that trustworthiness of information sources is critical to the ultimate usefulness of the help received. The discussion suggests some avenues for further research which would advance understanding of these barriers, and makes suggestions for improved delivery of information services to adolescents making career decisions.