Cognitive Studies: Bulletin of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society
Online ISSN : 1881-5995
Print ISSN : 1341-7924
ISSN-L : 1341-7924
Featur: Social Navigation
InfoCLASS Model:
Conceptual Richness and Interperson Conceptual Consensus about Information Collections
Peter Pirolli
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2004 Volume 11 Issue 3 Pages 197-213

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Abstract
Previous work on information foraging theory has addressed how people navigate through information systems to find information. This paper presents a new information foraging model called InfoCLASS that models the conceptual categories that people learn while interacting with information systems. InfoCLASS is based on previous work on the rational analysis of human category formation. InfoCLASS simulations can be used to make qualitative predictions about the richness of conceptual categories that will be learned from different experiential histories, and from different kinds of user interfaces. InfoCLASS simulations can also be used to predict the conceptual consensus among a group of users of information systems. It is argued that the degree of conceptual coherence among a group of users is an important determinant of the efficiency and effectiveness of a social organization engaged in making discoveries, such as scientific communities.
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© 2004 Japanese Cognitive Science Society
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