Wilson's model of information seeking behaviour was born out of a need to focus the field of
information and library science on human
use of information, rather than the use of sources.
Previous studies undertaken in the field were primarily concerned with systems, specifically, how an individual uses a system. Very little had been written that examined an individual's information needs, or how information seeking behaviour related to other task-oriented behaviours.
Thomas D. Wilson
Dr. Thomas D. Wilson has been an active contributor to the world of information science since 1961, when he received his Fellowship from the British Library Association. His research has focused on information management and information seeking be ...
's first model came from a presentation at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
in 1971 when "an attempt was made to map the processes involved in what was known at the time as "user need research".
Wilson's first model
Published in 1981, Wilson's first model outlined the factors leading to
information seeking
Information seeking is the process or activity of attempting to obtain information in both human and technological contexts. Information seeking is related to, but different from, information retrieval (IR).
Compared to information retrieval
T ...
, and the barriers inhibiting action.
[Wilson (2005)] It stated that information-seeking was prompted by an individual's
physiological
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
,
cognitive
Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...
, or affective needs, which have their roots in personal factors, role demands, or environmental context.
[Wilson (2000)]
In order to satisfy these needs, an individual makes demands upon various information systems such as the library and the use of technology. The user may also contact an
intermediary
An intermediary (or go-between) is a third party that offers intermediation services between two parties, which involves conveying messages between principals in a dispute, preventing direct contact and potential escalation of the issue. In law ...
such as family, friends and colleagues. The information provided by any of the contacted sources is then evaluated to determine if it satisfies the individual's needs.
[Wilson (1981)] This first model was based on an understanding of human information-seeking behaviors that are best understood as three interwoven frameworks: The user, the information system, and the information resource.
First revision in 1994
Wilson later built upon his original model in order to understand the personal circumstance,
social role
A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indivi ...
, and environmental context in which an information need is created.
This new model, altered in 1994 incorporated Ellis' stages of information-seeking: starting, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, extracting, verifying and ending.
The new model It also displayed the physiological, affective, and cognitive needs that give rise to information seeking behaviour.
The model recognized that an information need is not a need in and of itself, but rather one that stems from a previous
psychological need. These needs are generated by the interplay of personal habits and political, economic, and technological factors in an individual's environmental. The factors that drive needs can also obstruct an individual's search for information.
Second revision in 1997
In 1997 Wilson proposed a third, general model that built upon the previous two. This model incorporated several new elements that helped to demonstrate the stages experienced by the 'person in context', or searcher, when looking for information. These included an intermediate stage between the acknowledgement of a need and the initiation of action,
[Wilson (1997)] a redefining of the barriers he proposed in his second model as "intervening variables"
[Wilson (1999)] to show that factors can be supportive or preventative
a
feedback loop
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled c ...
, and an "activating mechanism" stage.
'Activating mechanisms' identify relevant impetus that prompt a decision to seek information, and integrate behavioural theories such as 'stress/coping theory', 'risk/reward theory' and '
social learning theory
Social learning is a theory of learning process social behavior which proposes that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occur p ...
'.
Nested model
In 1999, Wilson developed a nested model that brought together different areas of research in the study of
information behavior
Information behavior is a field of information science research that seeks to understand the way people search for and use information in various contexts. It can include information seeking and information retrieval, but it also aims to unders ...
.
[Bawden (2006)] The model represented research topics as a series of nested fields, with information behavior as the general area of investigation, information-seeking behavior as its sub-set, and information searching behavior as a further sub-set.
An evolving model
Wilson's model has changed over time, and will continue to evolve as technology and the nature of information changes.
[ The model has been cited and discussed by leaders in the ]information science
Information science (also known as information studies) is an academic field which is primarily concerned with analysis, collection, Categorization, classification, manipulation, storage, information retrieval, retrieval, movement, dissemin ...
field, and can be integrated with other significant theories of information behaviour. Wilson describes the model diagrams as elaborating on one another, saying "no one model stands alone and in using the model to guide the development of research ideas, it is necessary to examine and reflect upon all of the diagrams".
Recently, there has been a shift from theorizing on research already conducted on information behaviour, to pursuing "research within specific theoretical contexts".[ Wilson's Model is "aimed at linking theories to action";] however, it is this move from theory to action that is proving slow. Through numerous qualitative studies
Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This ...
, "we now have many in depth investigations into the information seeking behavior of small samples of people".[ Despite these studies, there have not been many links made between this research and changes in policy or practice.][Wilson (2010)]
References
{{Reflist
Sources
*Bawden, D. (2006). Users, user studies and human information behaviour: a three decade perspective on Tom Wilson's "On user studies and information needs". ''Journal of Documentation'', 62(6), 671-179.
*Case, D. O. (2012). ''Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior'' (3rd ed.). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Emerald Publishing Limited is a scholarly publisher of academic journals and books in the fields of management, business, education, library studies, health care, and engineering.
History
Emerald was founded in the United Kingdom in 1967 as '' ...
.
*Wilson, T. D. (1981). On user studies and information needs. ''Journal of Documentation
The ''Journal of Documentation'' is a double-blind peer-reviewed academic journal covering theories, concepts, models, frameworks, and philosophies in information science. The journal publishes scholarly articles, research reports, and critical rev ...
'', 37(1), 3-15.
*Wilson, T. D. (1994). Information needs and uses: fifty years of progress? In B. C. Vickory (Ed.), ''Fifty years of information progress: A Journal of Documentation review'' (pp. 15–51). London: Aslib.
*Wilson, T. D. (1997). Information behaviour: an interdisciplinary perspective. ''Information Processing and Management
''Information Processing and Management'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Elsevier covering the field of information and computational sciences applied to management. The journal was established in 1963 as ''Information S ...
'', 33(4), 551-572.
*Wilson, T. D. (1999). Models of information behaviour research. ''Journal of Documentation'', 55(3), 249-270.
*Wilson, T. D. (2000). Human information behavior. ''Informing Science'', 3(2), 49-55.
*Wilson, T. D. (2005). Evolution in information behaviour modeling: Wilson's model. In K. Fisher, S. Erdelez, & L. McKechnie (Eds.), ''Theories of information behavior'' (pp. 31–39). Medford, New Jersey: Information Today.
*Wilson, T.D. (2010). Fifty Years of Information Behaviour Research. ''Bulletin'', 36(3), 27-34.
Information theory