Judgements during information seeking : policy and research workers' assessments of enough information
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2008
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This thesis examines how people determine they have enough information, a
fundamental but perplexing question for human information behaviour researchers.
Informed by theories of human judgement and decision making, the thesis investigates
the ways in which judgements of enough information are made and the subtleties that
shape this critical judgement.
The empirical work that underpinned the thesis was an exploratory study conducted
from an interpretive orientation and using the case study approach. The study examined
multiple cases of judgements of enough information made while seeking and using
information in the workplace. Semi-structured interviews (33) were conducted with
public sector policy and research workers in Australia. Two interviews were carried out,
the first with individual participants to explore the nature of the contexts in which they worked and the second, a paired interview with two participants to focus on how they
assessed they had enough information. Interviews were taped and transcribed and
inductive data analysis carried out.
Principal findings included the importance of task in shaping judgements of enough
information through an iterative and fluid process. Throughout the process the nature of
what constituted enough information changed. Factors in the information use
environment of the policy and research workers that shaped their judgements of enough
information included the views of colleagues, supervisors and stakeholders,
organisational decision making processes and organisational attitudes towards
uncertainty. The collaborative information seeking and use of the policy and research
workers resulted in collaborative judgements of enough information.
The research makes three contributions to the field of human information behaviour
research. Firstly findings provide new insights into judgements of enough information
made by the policy and research workers, illuminating the judgement of enough
information as a process and refining concepts critical to understanding judgements
made while seeking and using information. Secondly the study provides a rich
description of policy and research workers, a professional group not previously studied
in relation to enough information, and their role in the public policy process. Thirdly
concern about the limitations of behavioural decision theory to fully explain judgements
of enough information led to consideration of naturalistic decision making, a recent
development in decision theory. Naturalistic decision making affords a different
perspective on human judgement and decision making. As a conceptual framework
within which to develop more nuanced understandings of judgements and decision
making during information seeking, naturalistic decision making has much to offer
human information behaviour researchers.
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