The impact of concept map visualizations on the information behavior, perceptions of performance, learning and use with novices in the information retrieval context

In examining undergraduate students in the information retrieval environment for the impact of computer generated concept maps, two primary research questions were considered: (1) what is the impact of display type on the novice searcher's information behavior; and (2) what is the impact of different display types on the user's perceptions of performance, knowledge and overall use of the system.; Sixty participants in this experiment were given hypothetical information needs on two different medical topics (cholesterol, depression). Participants' explored one of three interactive visualization displays using these medical topics, answered a pre- and post-test instrument and then completed a final questionnaire on their perceptions of the displays. Different types of inferential statistical tests were used to examine the research questions. When appropriate, factorial ANOVAs, mixed between-within ANOVAs, and chi square tests of independence were conducted.; Five main findings resulted from this research: (1) for all display types (LIST, SOM, PFNET) there is an increase in the number of participant search terms and in the incorporation of MeSH terminology from the visualizations following exposure to those displays; (2) there is a relationship between the display type and the interface level from which PFNET participants chose terms; (3) searchers' feelings of confidence, satisfaction, success, and relevance increased across all groups after system interaction; however, pre-test feelings of confidence and satisfaction seem to be dependent upon the participant's self-reported prior knowledge of the search topic; (4) feelings of confidence and satisfaction on the topic participants reported less pre-test knowledge on (cholesterol) shifted to match post-test ratings of confidence and satisfaction on the topic they had more pre-test knowledge on (depression); and (5) participants rated the PFNET system more visually appealing, easier to understand and more likely to be used in the future if given the option. Overall findings suggest that all displays were useful to the participants in this experiment and that the PFNET display was particularly useful for the novice searcher.