This study investigated the influence of task specificity and prior knowledge on university students' search strategies and incidental learning of a hypertext structure. Psychology and geography students were asked to search a hierarchical hypertext from each domain in order to answer four content-related questions. Question specificity (single vs. multiple target questions) was manipulated. Search time and search patterns showed a limited influence of discipline expertise on students' search strategies. However, strategies were consistent within question types and participants. Moreover, participants had a better incidental memory for the structure of the document in their specialty. The results support a model of document search as a generalized process with a limited influence of domain-related knowledge.
%0 Journal Article
%1 citeulike:3380114
%A Rouet, J.
%D 2003
%J Interacting with Computers
%K hypertext, search-strategy, task-specificity
%N 3
%P 409--428
%R 10.1016/S0953-5438(02)00064-4
%T What was I looking for? The influence of task specificity and prior knowledge on students' search strategies in hypertext
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0953-5438(02)00064-4
%V 15
%X This study investigated the influence of task specificity and prior knowledge on university students' search strategies and incidental learning of a hypertext structure. Psychology and geography students were asked to search a hierarchical hypertext from each domain in order to answer four content-related questions. Question specificity (single vs. multiple target questions) was manipulated. Search time and search patterns showed a limited influence of discipline expertise on students' search strategies. However, strategies were consistent within question types and participants. Moreover, participants had a better incidental memory for the structure of the document in their specialty. The results support a model of document search as a generalized process with a limited influence of domain-related knowledge.
@article{citeulike:3380114,
abstract = {This study investigated the influence of task specificity and prior knowledge on university students' search strategies and incidental learning of a hypertext structure. Psychology and geography students were asked to search a hierarchical hypertext from each domain in order to answer four content-related questions. Question specificity (single vs. multiple target questions) was manipulated. Search time and search patterns showed a limited influence of discipline expertise on students' search strategies. However, strategies were consistent within question types and participants. Moreover, participants had a better incidental memory for the structure of the document in their specialty. The results support a model of document search as a generalized process with a limited influence of domain-related knowledge.},
added-at = {2009-04-03T18:46:37.000+0200},
author = {Rouet, J.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2c4427cd4cfb75d05578b36606bd63ae9/acslab},
citeulike-article-id = {3380114},
doi = {10.1016/S0953-5438(02)00064-4},
interhash = {3ba7ab5dea0cc412aceaedb8ed79d77a},
intrahash = {c4427cd4cfb75d05578b36606bd63ae9},
issn = {09535438},
journal = {Interacting with Computers},
keywords = {hypertext, search-strategy, task-specificity},
month = {June},
number = 3,
pages = {409--428},
posted-at = {2008-10-06 16:03:14},
priority = {2},
timestamp = {2009-04-03T18:46:37.000+0200},
title = {What was I looking for? The influence of task specificity and prior knowledge on students' search strategies in hypertext},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0953-5438(02)00064-4},
volume = 15,
year = 2003
}