Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
IRList Digest Volume 3 Number 27
IRList Digest Tuesday, 11 August 1987 Volume 3 : Issue 27
Today's Topics:
Abstracts - Dissertation abstracts relating to inf. retrieval (pt 4 of 4)
News addresses are ARPANET: fox@vtopus.cs.vt.edu BITNET: foxea@vtvax3.bitnet
CSNET: fox@vt UUCPNET: seismo!vtisr1!irlistrq
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 87 16:45:32 EDT
From: Susanne Humphrey <humphrey@mcs.nlm.nih.gov>
Subject: new edition of abstracts for IRList and SIGIR Forum
Selected IR-Related Dissertation Abstracts (continued - part 4 of 4)
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-06113.
AU TAYLOR, RODERICK AUSTIN.
IN The University of Texas at Austin Ph.D. 1986, 191 pages.
TI Using multiple dialog modes in a user-system interface to accomodate
different levels of user experience: an experimental study.
SO DAI v47(12), SecA, pp4218.
DE Information Science. Computer Science.
AB This dissertation investigated a normative theory that says
computer users have different dialog needs depending on their level
of experience in using a computer. It was developed from the human
factors and user-system interface research built upon differences in
expert and novice problem solving strategies, memory, and learning.
Experts want to control the interaction with a computer as with a
command language whereas novices want to be led through their
interaction as with menus and prompts. Since most computer
interfaces only provide one dialog mode, some portion of a
population having a wide range of user experience is not having
their user-system interface needs met. This research hypothesizes
that the answer to satisfy the needs of a mixed population is to
have multiple dialog modes that the user is free to choose from and
switch between as required.
The hypotheses that experts and novices would perform better and
be more satisfied with multiple dialog modes than with just one mode
were tested empirically in a controlled laboratory setting. Both
novice and expert computer users used one of three types of
user-system interfaces (menu, command language, or both modes) to
perform the same data base task. Results showed that those with
both types of dialog modes were more satisfied and performed better
than the command language group but were statistically equal to the
menu group even though the performance scores and the satisfaction
rating was slightly better for menu. It was found that the
subject's choice of dialog mode, when both modes were available, and
their satisfaction with a dialog mode had more to do with past
experience and preference than with the difference in expert and
novice problem solving strategies. Results also suggested that
improvements in technology (e.g. fast display times for presenting
the menus) and the incorporation of basic underlying functions
developed from human factor studies into the user-system interface
have tended to overcome some of the previous dissatisfaction by
experts for computer directed (menu) type of dialog modes. In
conclusion, it was found that even though multiple dialog modes did
not improve performance and satisfaction over menus (although much
superior to having just command language) almost 100% of the 98
subjects expressed a preference for multiple dialog modes. When the
subjects were given a choice of dialog modes the subjects as a
whole, regardless of experience, split 60/40, menu to command
language. Thus, strong consideration should be given to having
multiple dialog modes in a user-system interface for application
systems that are to be used by a population with a diverse
experience background.
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-10121.
AU TSAI, BOR-SHENG.
IN Case Western Reserve University Ph.D. 1987, 262 pages.
TI The behavioral and structural analysis of a special subject
literature.
SO DAI v48(01), SecA, pp3.
DE Information Science.
AB "Information Retrieval" has always been one of the major
concerns in Information Science. Because present searching methods
for scientific literature basically use Boolean logic, probabilistic
methods, etc., frustration in searching for quality documents is
frequently experienced.
To assist literature searching, a subject network approach to
identify the significant authors related to a special subject
literature can be very helpful. By expanding Goffman's Epidemic
Model, ten stages and five formation periods of a population growth
model are developed to help analyze the behavior, the structure, and
finally, to identify the significant authors of this special subject
literature. Using an original special subject database as a source,
the citation data are thoroughly collected from Science Citation
Index and plotted into author, journal, and document citation
network maps as well as co-author network maps. The growth
dynamics, citation ratios, and entropies of the co-author network,
and document/author/journal citation networks are thus measured. An
analysis about the frequency of occurrence of descriptors is also
examined. The behavior of each communication network is detected,
identified, and explained in stages and periods. Finally, based on
the found formation periods, a stage-period table for the filtered
and identified synthetic information elements (significant authors
in this case) is constructed. The usage of this synthetic table to
its related functions is presented. The strengths, the concerned
issues, and further research areas related to this study are
discussed. The construction of an intelligent database and its
connected projects are suggested.
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-08276.
AU BLACK, EZRA WILLIAM.
IN City University of New York Ph.D. 1987, 181 pages.
TI Towards computational discrimination of English word senses.
SO DAI v47(12), SecA, pp4374.
DE Language, Linguistics.
AB An experiment is conducted which compares three different
methods of deciding which of three or four senses characterizes each
occurrence of a word for which a Key Word In Context concordance has
been constructed. The three methods consist of a dictionary-based
approach (DG) where categories intended to classify the words and
expressions occurring in each concordance line are simply the
subject codes of a major dictionary; an approach (DS1) in which
categories are obtained via a frequency analysis of words occurring
in the immediate neighborhood of the "node word"--the word in
focus--of the concordance, and of "content" words occurring anywhere
in a given line; and an approach (DS2) chiefly based on the
content-analytic categories obtained by closely reading the
concordances of a 100-type sampling of words occurring in the
20-25-million-token English text source, consisting of the official
proceedings of the Canadian House of Commons. Results are that DG
performs extremely poorly--in fact, near-randomly; DS1 and DS2 yield
better and substantially similar performances. The conclusion is
that domain-general, syntax-based approaches to automatic word sense
discrimination and domain-specific, content-analytic approaches need
and complement each other.
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG86-20874.
AU AL-DOSARY, FAHAD MISFER.
IN The University of Wisconsin - Madison Ph.D. 1986, 184 pages.
TI Characteristics of research literature used by political scientists:
a study of the influence of differences in research approaches on
citation behavior.
SO DAI v48(01), SecA, pp3.
DE Library Science.
AB A method is proposed to clarify certain factors underlying
citation behavior within a single discipline. This approach, which
is an extension and refinement of citation analysis as a method of
research, was used to analyze the citation patterns of political
scientists in relation to variations in their research approaches.
A sample of 204 political science journal articles was examined
to determine whether different research approaches used in a subject
field are associated with differences in citation patterns. The
articles were operationally classified as to their analytic
disposition into behavioral or traditional and as to their method of
research into quantitative or non-quantitative. Five citation
variables were examined, in relation to both analytic disposition
and to method of research, using a one-way analysis of variance.
The variables were: (1) the number of subjects cited, (2) the
percentage of non-political science subjects cited, (3) the
percentage of non-English literature cited, (4) the journal citation
rate, (5) the median age of cited literature.
Results showed that differences in research approaches were a
significant predictor for six of the ten relationships examined.
Traditionalists and behavioralists were alike in subject and
language dispersion; quantitative and non-quantitative were alike in
the number of subjects cited. Journal citation rate was higher for
behavioralists than traditionalists, as hypothesized. But contrary
to expectations, behavioralists cited literature of greater median
age than traditionalists, and the non-quantitative group cited a
higher percentage of non-political science subjects, had a higher
journal citation rate, cited literature of a lower median age and
cited more non-English literature than did the quantitative group.
AN University Microfilms Order Number ADG87-11722.
AU HOLMES, GLORIA PRICE.
IN The Florida State University Ph.D. 1987, 203 pages.
TI An analysis of the information-seeking behavior of science teachers
in selected secondary public schools in Florida.
SO DAI v48(02), SecA, pp240.
DE Library Science.
AB The purpose of this study was to describe the
information-seeking behavior of science teachers in selected
secondary public schools in Duval County, Florida. Information
sources they used, the characteristics of these sources important to
the teachers, and factors affecting their selection of resources
were analyzed. The goal of the study was to provide empirical data
which can be used by school library/media specialists and other
information providers to plan, design, and maintain more effective
and efficient information systems.
The questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument and
was mailed to a total of eighty teachers who were identified as
teaching at least one biology and/or chemistry course in the senior
high schools in the Duval County Public School System. A total of
sixty-eight questionnaires were returned for an acceptable response
rate of eighty-five percent.
Cross tabulations for the variables in the hypotheses were
calculated using chi square analysis. The chi square statistical
test at the .05 level of significance was used to report differences
among the teachers.
Three hypotheses were tested: (1) There are no significant
differences in the information-seeking behavior of public school
science teachers based on the subjects (biology and chemistry)
taught. (2) There are no significant differences in the
information-seeking behavior of public school science teachers based
on the level (standard versus advanced) of the courses taught. (3)
There are no significant differences in the information-seeking
behavior of the teachers based on personal and professional
characteristics such as: (a) Teaching experience. (b) Professional
development activities. (c) Level of education. (d) Socio-economic
status.
The major findings of the study indicate that: (1) There is
extensive reliance on the textbooks by the science teachers
regardless of the subject taught; level of course taught; or
personal and professional characteristics. (2) The teachers tended
to rate the academic library "excellent" but used their personal
libraries more. (3) A lack of time was the major problem in
obtaining information. (4) The characteristics of an ideal
information system included convenience, accessibility, currency,
relevancy, computer technologies, appropriate staff, and timeliness.
AN This item is not available from University Microfilms International
ADG05-60261.
AU HART, PAUL JASON.
IN University of Southern California Ph.D. 1987.
TI The use and role of commercial online databases in four
organizations.
SO DAI v48(02), SecA, pp242.
DE Mass Communications.
AB The influence of commercial online data base use on the roles of
technical gatekeepers and search analysts, interdepartmental
dependence, organizational status, and the attributed importance and
work benefits associated with online database use and their
relationships to task characteristics were examined in an aerospace
firm, medical center, law firm, and bank. Data were collected by
interviews (N = 48) and questionnaires (N = 91). Technical
gatekeepers at the aerospace firm, medical center, and bank
retrieved information from the databases which increased the scope
and improved the accuracy of information processed for problem
definition and problem-solving activities. Additional personnel
were required to support online retrieval and some search analysts
contributed to selecting and interpreting information retrieved.
Evidence of increased organizational status and interdependence
associated with online database use were also found. Mean factor
scores indicated that among organizational groups where information
volatility was lower attributed values associated with coverage were
more important, whereas in groups where information volatility was
higher, particularly among bank traders, values associated with
scanning were more important. (Copies available exclusively from
Micrographics Department, Doheny Library, USC, Los Angeles, CA
90089-0182.).
AN This item is not available from University Microfilms International
ADG03-75374.
AU ARENS, YIGAL.
IN University of California, Berkeley Ph.D. 1986.
TI CLUSTER: an approach to contextual language understanding.
SO ADD X1986.
DE Mathematics.
------------------------------
END OF IRList Digest
********************
