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To understand human learning and progress, it is crucial to understand curiosity. But how consistent is curiosity's conception and assessment across scientific research disciplines? We present the results of a large collaborative project assessing the correspondence between curiosity measures in personality psychology and cognitive science. A total of 820 participants completed 15 personality trait measures and 9 cognitive tasks that tested multiple aspects of information demand. We show that shared variance across the cognitive tasks was captured by a dimension reflecting directed (uncertainty-driven) versus random (stochasticity-driven) exploration and individual differences along this axis were significantly and consistently predicted by personality traits. However, the personality metrics that best predicted information demand were not the central curiosity traits of openness to experience, deprivation sensitivity, and joyous exploration, but instead included more peripheral curiosity traits (need for cognition, thrill seeking, and stress tolerance) and measures not traditionally associated with curiosity (extraversion and behavioral inhibition). The results suggest that the umbrella term "curiosity" reflects a constellation of cognitive and emotional processes, only some of which are shared between personality measures and cognitive tasks. The results reflect the distinct methods that are used in these fields, indicating a need for caution in comparing results across fields and for future interdisciplinary collaborations to strengthen our emerging understanding of curiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether information from reliable news sources such as medical experts and government officials, along with governmental and individual risk responses, influences consumers' perceptions of news and intention to seek more information. Additionally, it aimed to explore the relationships between these perceptions and consumers' intentions to seek information in a food safety risk event. Design/methodology/approach: A survey design methodology was employed. A quasi-experimental approach divided 470 Taiwanese participants into three groups, each exposed to varying online news content about food safety news, designed according to the Internalization-Distribution-Explanation-Action (IDEA) model. This involved different combinations of reliable sources and risk response advice to examine the impact on news comprehension and behaviour intentions. Findings: The results indicated that consumers perceived the news as highly credible when they read it with reliable news sources or risk response advice. Governmental and individual risk response advice significantly impacted consumers' understanding of news. In addition, perceptions of news credibility and understanding of news can increase individuals' information-seeking intentions to protect themselves from food safety risks. Originality/value: This study introduced novel insights into the application of the source credibility theory (SCT) model within Taiwanese food safety incidents, identifying key factors that motivate consumer information-seeking behaviour. It marks an initial attempt to incorporate the IDEA model-based risk communication content into research design, aligning with existing literature while highlighting the critical role of reliable sources in enhancing news credibility and consumer response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful retirement planning critically depends on access to accurate and up-to-date information. In this paper, we focus on the Australian Superannuation industry to examine the influence of digital technology in facilitating communication and information flow among its various actors. Using a qualitative research methodology, we conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with various industry actors including Superfunds, fund members, consultants, IT and digital solutions providers, and representatives from industry regulators. Our findings highlight the need for these actors to enhance their resource and knowledge-sharing capabilities, consumer need recognition, and information flow to ultimately enable Superfund members to improve their retirement planning and financial well-being. JEL Classification: D14 Household Saving • Personal Finance, D15 Intertemporal Household Choice • Life Cycle Models and Saving, J26 Retirement • Retirement Policies and J32 Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits • Retirement Plans • Private Pensions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russia-Ukraine war impacted the inherent world political pattern and aroused the common concern of the people of all countries. In era of mass communication, information exposure through media influences individuals' attitudes towards international events. By controlling the texts and images in news reports, this study tests the effects of prior cognition (cultural proximity) and media information exposure related factors on individual attitudes towards Russia-Ukraine war. This study conducted a 2 (information authority: mainstream media information vs. we-media information) x 2 (information attention bias: positive/neutral information attention vs. passive information attention) x 2 (self-construal: independent self vs. interdependent self) web-based experiment on 539 Chinese citizens (Mage= 30, SD = 20.494) during July 2023. Based on mediating and moderating analyses, the results showed that the impact of source credibility on audience attitudes was minimal, while cultural proximity had a strong influence on individuals' attitudes towards Russia and Ukraine and their levels of support. Additionally, micro-narratives were found to be more effective in evoking anti-war sentiments compared to macro-narratives. As individuals are exposed to more media information, their attitudes become more distinct and less likely to change. This study investigates he applicability of the OSOR model and the ELM model in political communication field, providing insights for understanding the effects of media information exposure in shaping public's opinions on internationally events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of health risks can influence people's health behaviors. However, in the context of modern consumer society, few people delve into in-depth discussions on health consumption as a form of health protection behavior. Inspired by the Health Belief Model and Protection Motivation Theory, this study interprets health consumption behavior as a new form of health protection behavior. A survey was conducted on a sample of Chinese youth (N = 885) to explore the mechanisms of action between health risk perception and health consumption behavior using structural equation modeling. The study found that: (1) health risk perception has a significant positive impact on the health consumption behavior of young people; (2) negative emotions and information seeking play mediating roles respectively in the mechanism of the impact of health risk perception on health consumption behavior; and (3) in addition to their individual mediating roles, negative emotions and information seeking behavior collectively play a chained mediation role in this process. Implications of these results, both theoretical and practical, are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have examined correlates of health information seeking and scanning separately, focusing on distinct theoretical frameworks, antecedents, and outcomes. In this meta-analysis we synthesize this research (k  = 21; N  = 39,510) by examining the relationship between health information seeking and scanning, and their key antecedents and outcomes. Results show that seeking and scanning are moderately and positively correlated, supporting the claim that these are distinct, albeit related, and behaviors. Level of education and income are positive correlates of scanning (but not seeking) behaviors. Conversely, issue-relevance is positively associated with seeking (but not scanning). Results show substantial parity in associations between seeking and scanning with topic-relevant attitudes and behavioral intention. Information seeking (but not scanning), however, is a significant correlate of risk perceptions and perceived social norms. Thus, scanning and seeking are associated with distinct antecedents, but have similar effects. We offer theoretical implications and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of World Medical & Health Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A growing number of older adults are using social media to acquire health information through active information search (i.e., information seeking) and routine exposure to media sources (i.e., information scanning). In China, as in other societies, social media platforms have become a mixed source of credible and unreliable health information that could impact older adults' health self-management. Understanding factors associated with their use of social media to acquire health information is crucial for promoting smart online information practices among older adults. Against this backdrop, this study explored the association between two cognitive factors (outcome expectancy and efficacy) and two relational factors (social support and health opinion leadership) with older WeChat users' health information seeking and scanning behaviors. We conducted a paper-and-pencil survey with 407 older adults aged 60 and above (M = 68.54, SD = 6.21) in an eastern city in China. The results indicated that older WeChat users' health information scanning was associated with their health status, efficacy, social support, and health opinion leadership. Additionally, their health information seeking was associated with their education, efficacy, health opinion leadership, and frequency of health information scanning. This paper concludes with discussions on the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last two decades, Internet use has increased in all parts of the world. Although, the trend of actively using the Internet for seeking health-related information was already on the rise, it accelerated soon after the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the increased use of the Internet for health decisions, serious concerns have been raised due to fake or misinformation. This study aims to determine the impact of Internet use for gathering health-related information on the disease management behavior of patients and to identify the mediating role of perceived credibility of online information. The study surveyed 200 chronic disease patients with diabetes and hypertension from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, Pakistan. It is concluded that overall health-related Internet use has a positive impact on the disease management behavior of chronic disease patients. The study further confirms the mediating role of the perceived credibility of online information. Patients who are frequent users of the Internet for health information, who perceive online information more credible, reported better disease management behavior as compared to the less frequent users and those who perceive online information less credible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet has become a common means by which many older adults seek out health information. The prevalence of misinformation on the internet makes the search for accurate online health information a more complex and evaluative process. This study examined the role of age and neurocognition in credibility evaluations of credible and non-credible health websites. Forty-one older adults and fifty younger adults completed a structured credibility rating task in which they evaluated a series of webpages displaying health information about migraine treatments. Participants also completed measures of neurocognition, internet use, and health literacy. Results suggested that older adults rated non-credible health websites as more credible than younger adults, but the age groups did not differ in their ratings of credible sites. Within the full sample, neurocognition was associated with credibility ratings for non-credible health websites, whereas health literacy was related to the ratings of credible sites. Findings indicate that older adults may be more likely to trust non-credible health websites than younger adults, which may be related to differences in higher-order neurocognitive functions. Future work might examine whether cognitive-based supports for credibility training in older adults can be used to improve the accuracy with which they evaluate online health information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children frequently use Google to answer their questions, yet what they think about Google's capacity and limitations is unclear. This study explores children's beliefs about Google's capacity to answer questions. American children ages 9 and 10 (n = 44; 18 boys and 26 girls) viewed factual questions directed towards Google or a person. After viewing each question, they reported their confidence in the informant's accuracy, the time it would take the informant to obtain the answer and how the informant would obtain the answer. Finally, they generated questions that the internet would be capable or incapable of answering. Children believed Google would be more accurate and faster than a person at answering questions. Children consistently generated appropriate questions that the internet would be good at answering, but they sometimes struggled to generate questions that the internet would not be good at answering. Implications for children's learning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce uncertainty, the public needs accurate and timely information. Inspired by the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model, this article discovers the significant predictors of individuals' COVID-19 information-seeking intention and behaviour. Overall, 394 adult participants from 47 states completed this study's online survey. The hierarchical regression analysis reveals that risk experience and informational subjective norms are the most substantial predictors of individuals' online information-seeking behaviour about COVID-19. Information insufficiency did not predict information seeking, and participants tend to overestimate their knowledge about COVID-19. RISP variables tend to share power in explaining the variances of information-seeking behaviour. Moreover, both channel beliefs and perceived information gathering capacity moderate information insufficiency's prediction of information-seeking intention. These findings will assist researchers in discovering the fundamental motivation of information seeking. This article can guide pragmatic interventions to reduce the public's uncertainty and mitigate the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the findings of a research project conducted in six adult prisons in New South Wales, Australia that sought to study the information needs and information seeking practices of adult Australian prisoners. Through data gathered from 106 prisoner surveys, the paper identifies the information needs of Australian adult prisoners across six information domains: legal, education, spirituality, health, prison life, and re-integration. For each information domain, participants were asked to identify their preferred source or sources of information from eight possible information sources: prison libraries, tablet devices, staff, family/friends, health services, television/radio, books etc. not from the prison library, or other. The number and nature of unmet information needs are also explored and described. The data gathered enables a study of the different information needs and behaviours of female and male prisoners, and prisoners from across various security levels. The paper finds a significant level of unmet information need in the lives of Australian adult prisoners across all information domains studied. Prisoners are heavily reliant on sources of information that are likely to be non-expert such as custodial staff, other inmates, and family and friends to attempt to meet their information needs about significant critical issues such as their ongoing legal matters and their health. The information needs are similar for female and male prisoners, however their information seeking practices differ, with male prisoners being more likely to have support from family and friends as information sources than female prisoners. Prisoners living in minimum security prisons are least likely to identify a need for spirituality-related information compared with prisoners living in other security classifications and are most likely to seek information regarding their reintegration back into their communities as they plan for their release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovation research fighting for public attention and counteracting science-skeptical views raise the need for insights into why individuals are motivated to engage with scientific knowledge. Guided by the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM), additionally considering mistrust in science and innovativeness, the study aimed to explain individuals' intention to seek information about medical innovations. Findings of an online survey among German residents (N = 5,322) supported the utility of the extended PRISM to predict seeking intent. Most of the postulates of the PRISM were supported; mistrust served as a barrier to engagement with scientific knowledge, whereas innovativeness was of minor relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans are immensely curious and motivated to reduce uncertainty, but little is known about the neural mechanisms that generate curiosity. Curiosity is inversely associated with confidence, suggesting that it is triggered by states of low confidence (subjective uncertainty), but the neural mechanisms of this link, have been little investigated. Inspired by studies of sensory uncertainty, we hypothesized that visual areas provide multivariate representations of uncertainty, which are read out by higher-order structures to generate signals of confidence and, ultimately, curiosity. We scanned participants (17 female, 15 male) using fMRI while they performed a new task in which they rated their confidence in identifying distorted images of animals and objects and their curiosity to see the clear image. We measured the activity evoked by each image in the occipitotemporal cortex (OTC) and devised a new metric of “OTC Certainty” indicating the strength of evidence this activity conveys about the animal versus object categories. We show that, perceptual curiosity peaked at low confidence and OTC Certainty negatively correlated with curiosity, establishing a link between curiosity and a multivariate representation of sensory uncertainty. Moreover, univariate (average) activity in two frontal areas-vmPFC and ACC-correlated positively with confidence and negatively with curiosity, and the vmPFC mediated the relationship between OTC Certainty and curiosity. The results reveal novel mechanisms through which uncertainty about an event generates curiosity about that event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated how apparent threat of an ambiguous stimuli modulates infants' looking to interaction partners of varying familiarity (mother, familiar experimenter, unfamiliar experimenter). We hypothesized a preference for familiar informants under higher apparent threat, but a preference for unfamiliar informants under lower apparent threat. The informant encouraged infants (N = 104, 8–13 months) to cross a visual cliff in one of two apparent threat conditions (lower vs. higher drop‐off). Under lower threat, infants looked equally long to all informants, but switched gazes more often between their mother and the cliff. Infants explored the cliff more and crossed more often in the mother condition compared to the other two conditions. They also expressed less negative affect in the presence of the mother compared to the unfamiliar experimenter, but not compared to the familiar experimenter. Under high threat, a similar pattern emerged, except that looking duration to the unfamiliar informant was shorter compared to the low threat condition. Heart rate acceleration appeared when infants were placed on the cliff compared to a baseline phase. Higher levels of negative affectivity (but not higher arousal) were observed under higher compared to lower threat. Overall, we found little evidence of the influence of threat within the visual cliff task. We argue that infants may have perceived the cliff as quite challenging even in the lower threat condition and call for more research on the situational embeddedness of early social learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Primary emotions among the populace during global health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, provide valuable insights. Guided by appraisal theories of emotions, this study explores emotional segmentation by mapping primary emotions related to COVID-19 and investigating their impact on cognitive and behavioral outcomes, including risk perceptions, efficacy beliefs, behavioral intentions, prevention behaviors, and information seeking/avoidance. Methods: Study 1 surveyed young adults (N = 1,368) to investigate their emotions about COVID-19 and examine the effect of these emotions on risk perceptions, efficacy beliefs, and behavioral intentions regarding mask-wearing and physical distancing. Study 2 replicated Study 1 with a quota-based national sample of U.S. adults (N = 8,454) and further tested the effect of primary emotions on preventive behaviors and information seeking/avoidance. Results: Results indicated that most people experienced negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, and anxiety. These emotions were associated with varying levels of risk perceptions, efficacy beliefs, behavioral intentions, actual behaviors, and information seeking/avoidance. Notably, across both studies, anxious individuals demonstrated more favorable health-related perceptions and behavioral outcomes compared to those experiencing anger. Discussion: These findings offer insights into the emotional experiences of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the significant impact of these emotions on risk perceptions and health-related behaviors. Understanding these emotional responses can inform public health strategies and communication efforts during health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study conducted to know the familiarity and challenges faced by the Ph.D. scholars and Postgraduate students in using the available e-Resources at the Sharda University. It also explains the purpose of using the e-Journals, e-books and online databases and their ability to use the e-resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates SOR (Stimuli-Organism-Response) theoretical framework and rational behavior theory within a theoretical framework, incorporating group norms as a moderating factor to investigate the psychological mechanisms influencing Chinese college students' online rumor-refutation behavior amidst public health crises. Using the structural equation modeling research method, data was collected via questionnaires from 1,254 participants in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that both online and offline information seeking are positively correlated with college students' attitudes and subjective norms. Moreover, the attitudes and subjective norms of college students are positively correlated with the online rumor refuting behavior. Furthermore, group norms serve to strengthen the connection between college students' attitudes and their engagement in online refuting rumors. These results illuminate the psychological underpinnings driving college students' online rumor-refuting actions, offering practical and policy implications for effectively managing rumor behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines information-seeking behaviors of immigrants from Russia and Ukraine living in a medium-sized city in the Southeastern United States. Qualitative research methods included focus group meetings, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and a Photovoice project. Participants shared what information they needed to adapt to the American culture, where they looked for this information, and what barriers they experienced. The findings showed that immigrants sought everyday life information and information about the local culture, used interpersonal communication and online media as primary sources of information, and reported more co-ethnic interaction and communication with Americans than their compatriots in larger cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents rational inattention as a new, transdiagnostic theory of information seeking in neurodevelopmental conditions that have uneven cognitive and socio‐emotional profiles, including developmental language disorder (DLD), dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism. Rational inattention holds that the optimal solution to minimizing epistemic uncertainty is to avoid imprecise information sources. The key theoretical contribution of this report is to endogenize imprecision, making it a function of the primary neurocognitive difficulties that have been invoked to explain neurodivergent phenotypes, including deficits in auditory perception, working memory, procedural learning and the social brain network. We argue that disengagement with information sources with low endogenous precision (e.g. speech in DLD, orthography‐phonology mappings in dyslexia, numeric stimuli in dyscalculia and social signals in autism) constitutes resource‐rational behaviour. We demonstrate the strength of this account in a series of computational simulations. In experiment 1, we simulate information seeking in artificial agents mimicking an array of neurodivergent phenotypes, which optimally explore a complex learning environment containing speech, text, numeric stimuli and social cues. In experiment 2, we simulate optimal information seeking in a cross‐modal dual‐task paradigm and qualitatively replicate empirical data from children with and without DLD. Across experiments, simulated agents' only aim was to maximally reduce epistemic uncertainty, with no difference in reward across information sources. We show that rational inattention emerges naturally in specific neurodivergent phenotypes as a function of low endogenous precision. For instance, an agent mimicking the DLD phenotype disengages with speech (and preferentially engages with alternative precise information sources) because endogenous imprecision renders speech not conducive to information gain. Because engagement is necessary for learning, simulation demonstrates how optimal information seeking may paradoxically contribute negatively to an already delayed learning trajectory in neurodivergent children. Research Highlights: We present the first comprehensive theory of information seeking in neurodivergent children to date, centred on the notion of rational inattention.We demonstrate the strength of this account in a series of computational simulations involving artificial agents mimicking specific neurodivergent phenotypes that optimally explore a complex learning environment containing speech, text, numeric stimuli, and social cues.We show how optimal information seeking may, paradoxically, contribute negatively to an already delayed learning trajectory in neurodivergent children.This report advances our understanding of the factors shaping short‐term decision making and long‐term learning in neurodivergent children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of information-seeking often highlight people's tendency to forgo financial reward in return for advance information about future outcomes. Most of these experiments use tasks in which reward contingencies are described to participants. The use of such descriptions leaves open the question of whether the opportunity to obtain such noninstrumental information influences people's ability to learn and represent the underlying reward structure of an experimental environment. In two experiments, participants completed a two-armed bandit task with monetary incentives where reward contingencies were learned via trial-by-trial experience. We find, akin to description-based tasks, that participants are willing to forgo financial reward to receive information about a delayed, unchangeable outcome. Crucially, however, there is little evidence this willingness to pay for information is driven by an inaccurate representation of the reward structure: participants' representations approximated the underlying reward structure regardless of the presence of advance noninstrumental information. The results extend previous conclusions regarding the intrinsic value of information to an experience-based domain and highlight challenges of probing participants' memories for experienced rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are next-word predictors built on large language models (LLMs). There is great interest within the educational field for this new technology because AI chatbots can be used to generate information. In this theoretical article, we provide educational insights into the possibilities and challenges of using AI chatbots. These insights were produced by designing chemical information-seeking activities for chemistry teacher education which were analyzed via the SWOT approach. The analysis revealed several internal and external possibilities and challenges. The key insight is that AI chatbots will change the way learners interact with information. For example, they enable the building of personal learning environments with ubiquitous access to information and AI tutors. Their ability to support chemistry learning is impressive. However, the processing of chemical information reveals the limitations of current AI chatbots not being able to process multimodal chemical information. There are also ethical issues to address. Despite the benefits, wider educational adoption will take time. The diffusion can be supported by integrating LLMs into curricula, relying on open-source solutions, and training teachers with modern information literacy skills. This research presents theory-grounded examples of how to support the development of modern information literacy skills in the context of chemistry teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In democratic societies around the world, the number of science policy decisions is increasing. One of the fundamental principles of democracy is that citizens should be able to understand the issues before them. Using a 63-year cross-sectional US data set, we use confirmatory factor analysis to construct and test a two-dimensional measure of attitude to science and technology that has been relatively stable over the last six decades. Previous and current research tells us that only one in three US adults is scientifically literate, meaning that trust in scientific expertise is important to many citizens. We find that trust in scientific expertise polarized during the Trump administration. Using the same data set, we construct two structural equation models to determine the factors that predict positive attitudes toward science and technology. Comparing 2016 and 2020, we find that the Trump attacks on science did not reduce public support for science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this work is to assess the knowledge and information management practices of women with a history of preeclampsia (PE), a serious complication of pregnancy with extensive impacts on maternal health and a leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Drawing from the theory of motivated information management (TMIM), we aim to assess the extent to which participants avoid or seek information about PE. A survey sent to 109 women managing PE revealed that participants lacked knowledge of PE signs and symptoms, a critical deficiency that can lead to future adverse outcomes. The data also fit the model predicted by TMIM with topic avoidance as the outcome variable: the greater the gap between what women knew and wanted to know about PE, the more anxiety experienced; more levels of anxiety increased negative appraisals about the consequences of PE-related conversations and decreased overall efficacy beliefs, which culminated in information avoidance. Results have implications for how PE survivors interpret the information received about the condition, evaluate their communication options and abilities, and make decisions to seek information vital to safeguarding their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young informal carers (YICs) are non-professional young individuals providing care and support in various forms, usually to immediate family members, afflicted from a diverse range of both long- and short-term health conditions. Although there is significant knowledge about the information needs of adult carers in general, information needs and information seeking characteristics of the YICs' community are understudied and are different. This study aims to identify the information needs of YICs communicated over the Internet and understanding their information seeking characteristics through a three-stage qualitative content analysis of posts written by YICs on two notable Internet forums. The analysis of 323 posts dated between March 2010 and April 2019 finds YICs' needs are categorised by two types of online expression of needs, situational and information. Situational needs are illustrations of current difficult conditions and information needs are direct requests for information. Under situational and information needs, we identify four types of needs expressed: personal and professional growth, health (self and caree), finance and relationships. In addition, the findings indicate 94.36% posts in the sample as situational needs, which depict the uncertainty experienced by YICs under caring circumstances. The findings can assist government organisations and charities by improving the indexing of advice pages of their websites appropriate to the YICs' search words, better availability of information and advertising, in addition to building quality mobile applications or digital support tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curiosity – the desire to seek information – is fundamental for learning and performance. Studies on curiosity have shown that people are intrinsically motivated to seek information even if it does not bring an immediate tangible benefit (i.e., non-instrumental information), but little is known as to whether people have the metacognitive capability to accurately monitor their motivation for seeking information. We examined whether people can accurately predict their own non-instrumental information-seeking behavior. Across six experiments (Experiments 1A–1E and 2, total N = 579), participants predicted that they would engage in information-seeking behavior less frequently than they actually did, suggesting that people tend to underestimate the motivational lure of curiosity. Overall, there was no consistent statistical evidence that this underestimation was altered by contextual factors (e.g., the cost to seek information). These results were consistent with the theoretical account that it is difficult for people to make sense of the internally rewarding value of information in advance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the development of information literacy skills and their self-perceived assessment among journalists in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire was conducted in four Provinces and the Federal Capital of Pakistan with the consent of relevant authorities for data collection. A total of 1089 responses were received. The data were analyzed in SPSS by applying descriptive as well as inferential statistics. A large majority of the surveyed respondents received information literacy instruction of short duration during their careers while being mainly in practice. The most covered topics included research literacy, communication skills, information discovery, critical literacy, tools literacy, and information handling. These participants perceived information literacy as invaluable in their practical work context. The survey participants perceived themselves as information literate not only for basic levels of information literacy but also for advanced levels. In addition, journalists' gender, age, academic qualification, job experience, information literacy instructions received, nature of work, and region predicted their levels of information literacy. The results generated pragmatic insight for educators and information professionals in designing a need-based information literacy instruction program for existing as well as prospective journalists. This research would make a worthy contribution to the existing information literacy research in the context of the workplace as no such comprehensive study on journalists' workplace had appeared so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many older adults residing in rural communities faced particularly damaging consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Given the impact of the pandemic on the ability to rely on traditional forms of information (i.e. interpersonal communication), reliance on digital technology and other non-traditional sources of information grew. Those who lacked the information literacy, defined in this study as the ability to find and evaluate the reliability of information to address an information need, may have faced psychologically damaging consequences caused by the proliferation of misinformation and information poverty. Informed by an ecological understanding of human information behavior, this paper reports on the findings of a study of rural older adults' information literacy skills and sense of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. A mail survey, based on concepts from psychology and information science and question wordings adapted from the 2021 Health and Retirement Survey and Jones-Jang et al.'s study of literacies and fake news, was distributed in the summer of 2021 to older adults living in rural Kansas. About 206 valid responses to the survey were received. These were analyzed using correlation and regression testing. The findings indicate a significant relationship between information literacy skills and one's overall sense of well-being. Personal (age, gender, health, life control), economic (employment, finances), and social-relational resources (social engagement, relationship quality) all were shown to relate positively to information literacy skills. These findings provide definition to our understanding of the importance of information literacy in modern understandings of psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applicability of the main theories of risk information seeking to novel risk scenarios is not well understood. According to Hovick, Kahlor, and Liang (Journal of Health Communication 19:511-527, 2014), this study retested the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM) and examined the impact of additional variables on the model in order to investigate the critical factors (expanded PRISM) that affect people's intention to seek information about COVID-19 risks and determine whether the PRISM model is more appropriate in this context than expanded PRISM based on survey data from 1031 Chinese adults. The results showed that PRISM fit the data better. Furthermore, future study should focus on two new variables: source beliefs and past information seeking. Theoretical and practical implications are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of news modality (print news vs. 360° journalism) on psychological mechanisms of information seeking intention, as well as individual differences that moderate the observed outcomes. The results of a two condition between-subjects experiment (N = 100) conducted on a community sample showed that news modality affected information seeking intentions, enjoyment of news story, and the feelings of spatial presence, but did not affect actual information seeking behavior and information recall. Exposure to 360° journalism led to the increase in spatial presence, which led to a linear increase in enjoyment, ultimately resulting in greater intentions to seek further information. Participants with a higher need for cognitive closure enjoyed consuming news more when the story was presented as 360° journalism than those with a lower need for cognitive closure. Results contribute to expanding the theories of information seeking and the role of affective responses and spatial presence on news consumption in journalism and communication scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation, studying human behaviour is becoming ever more pressing. The variety of human behaviour within translation studies (TS) research has been given some attention, but the area of individual differences in translators, especially regarding their translation-oriented research activities, has received little consideration in either TS or Information Behaviour (IB) studies. This article reports on a quasi-naturalistic, observational, mixed methods study of professional translators' research activities designed to capture the similarities and differences in how those activities are carried out. The outcome is a taxonomy of translation-oriented research styles which illustrates the wide spectrum of research behaviours as observed and reported by sixteen participants, but the article also points towards a potential tendency for the homogenization of translation-oriented research behaviour in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how uncertainty affects information seeking and avoidance behaviors via information insufficiency in the COVID-19 vaccination context. It also investigated how trust in science, government, and society moderate the effects of information insufficiency. An online experiment with 131 Korean adults showed that uncertainty indirectly affects information seeking intentions via information insufficiency, which is moderated by science trust and governmental trust. It also showed that uncertainty indirectly affects information avoidance intentions via information insufficiency, which is moderated by social trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Public Relations Research Middle East / Magallat Bhut Al-Laqat Al-Amh - Al-Srq Al-Aust is the property of Egyptian Public Relation Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study is to identify the use of social media by Generation Z (Gen Z) in information seeking. This study employs a systematic review method with planning, implementation, and reporting phases. The databases utilized in this research are Google Scholar and Portal Garuda, with a publication timeframe of the last 10 years (2013-2023). The search yielded a total of 85 articles. After the elimination process, there were a total of 10 articles analyzed in this study. The research results indicate that Gen Z uses social media to seek information related to health, education, entertainment, and religion. Some Gen Z validates the information they obtain on social media, while others do not. The Ellis and Kuhlthau, information-seeking behavior (ISB) model is used to elucidate the information-seeking patterns of Gen Z. This systematic review is expected to serve as a consideration for educators and policymakers that social media can be used as a tool in the integration of formal and non-formal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Less is known about the sexual life and information seeking of Chinese patients with prostate cancer (PCa) after androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) treatment. Aim: To identify the experiences of sex and information needs among Chinese patients with PCa after ADT treatment. Methods: This qualitative study included 15 Chinese patients with PCa in urology inpatient wards, selected via a purposive sampling method. Semistructured interviews were conducted face-to-face or by telephone regarding sexual experiences and information needs after ADT treatment. Outcomes: Themes and subthemes were assessed among patients with PCa. Results: Two themes and 5 subthemes emerged from the interview data. The first theme was "altered sexual life and attitude" with 3 subthemes: (1) undesirable sexual function and altered sexuality, (2) sexual attitudes and sociocultural cognition, and (3) behavior adjustment and intimacy. The second theme was "scarce information sources" with 2 subthemes: (1) uncertainty and lack of information support and (2) barriers to access sexual information. Clinical Implications: The present findings suggest that the following may help patients with PCa manage treatment and develop appropriate sexual attitudes: a tailored sexual health education program, well-equipped consultations rooms, and information delivery innovations. Strengths and Limitations: Strengths of this study included adding unique evidence among patients with PCa within an Asian context to reveal the understudied topic of sexual health and information needs after ADT treatment. This study was limited in being representative of all Chinese patients with PCa, with different marital statuses, treatment therapies, sexual orientations, and barriers of information seeking. Conclusion: Sexual life and attitude among patients with PCa were affected by their sociocultural cognition and ADT treatment, and most patients received insufficient information and sexual health education from health care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the theory of motivated information management (TMIM), this study tested the degree to which sexual minorities' uncertainty discrepancy about their partner's communication about their relationship to their family of origin predicted their information management strategies and relational quality (i.e., closeness and satisfaction). Participants included 111 sexual minorities involved in a monogamous romantic relationship. Results supported the theoretic logic of the TMIM, as uncertainty discrepancy positively predicted negative emotions, which in turn negatively predicted SMs' outcome expectancies and efficacy assessments but positively predicted direct and indirect information seeking. Indirect effects emerged for uncertainty discrepancy on direct information seeking and information avoidance, as well as for relational closeness and satisfaction, via the mechanisms specified by the TMIM. Importantly, this study reveals relational ambivalence that sexual minorities may experience as a result of managing their uncertainty about their partner's relationship disclosures to their partner's family-of-origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software developers new to creating Augmented Reality (AR) experiences often gravitate towards simplified development environments, such as 3D game engines. While popular game engines such as Unity and Unreal have evolved to offer extensive support and functionalities for AR creation, many developers still find it difficult to realize their immersive development projects. We ran an observational study with 12 software developers to assess how they approach the initial AR creation processes using a simplified development framework, the information resources they seek, and how their learning experience compares to the more mainstream 2D development. We observed that developers often started by looking for code examples rather than breaking down complex problems, leading to challenges in visualizing the AR experience. They encountered vocabulary issues and found trial-and-error methods ineffective due to a lack of familiarity with 3D environments, physics, and motion. These observations highlight the distinct needs of emerging AR developers and suggest that conventional code reuse strategies in mainstream development may be less effective in AR. We discuss the importance of developing more intuitive training and learning methods to foster diversity in developing interactive systems and support self-taught learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A large body of work has identified a core sense of number supported by the Approximate Number System (ANS) that is present in infancy and across species. Although it is commonly assumed that the ANS directly processes perceptual input and is relatively independent from affective factors, some evidence points at a correlation between ANS performance and math anxiety. However, the evidence is mixed. We tested whether giving participants active control in completing a numerical task would change the relationship between math anxiety on performance. Methods: Adult participants (N = 103) completed a novel four-alternative-forcedchoice non-symbolic numerical comparison task. In a repeated-measures design, participants either passively viewed different dot arrays or actively chose to view each array (i.e., active information-seeking) before deciding on the largest quantity. Participants also provided confidence judgments during the passive version of the task. Results: We replicated the ratio-dependent signature in participants' accuracy in both the passive and active versions of the task using this novel paradigm, as well as in trial-level confidence judgments and information-seeking behavior. Participants' self-reported math anxiety significantly correlated with their accuracy on the passive version of the task. Critically, the correlation disappeared in the active version of the task. Gender also emerged as a predictor of confidence judgments and a moderator of the effect of task on overall accuracy and the effect of active information seeking on accuracy in the active version of the task. Exploratory analysis of estimated Weber Fraction suggests that these results may be driven by auxiliary factors instead of changes in ANS acuity. Conclusion: These findings have implications for understanding the relationship between math anxiety and performance on numerical tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reproductive Health is the property of BioMed Central and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While scientific knowledge acquisition is a vital premise for citizens' self-protection against COVID-19, the impact of anti-intellectualism on scientific information seeking has yet to be fully examined. Based on a cross-sectional survey, this study investigated the association of distrust and stigmatization forms of antiintellectualism (i.e. AID vs. AIS) with the Planned Risk Information Seeking Model (PRISM) in predicting Chinese netizens' information seeking about SARS-CoV-2 variants. The statistical results show that AIS is positively associated with seeking-related subjective norms and perceived control, indicating that it may boost a sense of self-empowerment. However, AIS is negatively related to affective risk response and the knowledge-sufficiency threshold, suggesting its possible link to overconfidence and trust in government. AID was found to be negatively associated with seeking-related attitudes and perceived control. Because AIS is far more popular than AID among respondents, its contradictory health implications should be brought into the vision of health communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communicating information about health risks empowers individuals to make informed decisions. To identify effective communication strategies, we manipulated the specificity, self-relevance, and emotional framing of messages designed to motivate information seeking about COVID-19 exposure risk. In Study 1 (N = 221,829), we conducted a large-scale social media field study. Using Facebook advertisements, we targeted users by age and political attitudes. Episodic specificity drove engagement: Advertisements that contextualized risk in specific scenarios produced the highest click-through rates, across all demographic groups. In Study 2, we replicated and extended our findings in an online experiment (N = 4,233). Message specificity (but not self-relevance or emotional valence) drove interest in learning about COVID-19 risks. Across both studies, we found that older adults and liberals were more interested in learning about COVID-19 risks. However, message specificity increased engagement across demographic groups. Overall, evoking specific scenarios motivated information seeking about COVID-19, facilitating risk communication to a broad audience. General Audience Summary: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have weighed risks and benefits when making choices about everyday activities. Learning about the current local risk of COVID-19 exposure is important for making informed decisions. Social media can be a platform for rapidly disseminating health information, but it can also contribute to misinformation and confirmation bias. Here, we tested strategies for risk communication on social media, targeting users by age and political attitudes. In Study 1, we used Facebook advertisements to motivate users to learn about COVID-19 exposure risk. Users who clicked on an ad were directed to interactive risk assessment tools on a public website. We varied the specificity of the advertisements by describing national ("in the United States"), local ("in your area"), or scenario ("at your favorite restaurant") risks. We also manipulated emotional valence by using positive ("stay safe and healthy") or negative ("avoid danger and illness") language. Specificity drove engagement: In all demographic groups, users were the most likely to click on scenario ads. In Study 2, we replicated and extended our findings in a sample of paid participants. In addition to varying the specificity and valence of the ads, we manipulated self-relevance (e.g., "a restaurant" vs. "your favorite restaurant") and tested an alternative scenario (grocery store instead of restaurant). Consistent with Study 1, specificity (but not valence or self-relevance) drove interest in learning about COVID-19 risk. In both studies, we also found that older adults and liberals were more interested in COVID-19 information, whereas conservatives were less engaged and more likely to feel angry or disgusted. However, scenario ads reliably increased engagement across demographic groups. Overall, we found that evoking specific scenarios motivated information seeking about COVID-19 risks. Health messages with improved specificity can be readily disseminated on social media, reaching a broad audience to support public health goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intersection of bibliographic control and information behavior is explored in 237 issues of CCQ literature published from 1980–2023 using a combination of expanded searches within three prominent journal databases and frequency analysis of the terms "user", "seek", and "behavior" in the approximately 2,391 published items. The database searches, while inconsistent, produced a set of 43 articles (approx. 2%). Frequency and mention rates analysis using Voyant provided unique insight into both high and low occurrences of the terms. Cross-referencing both data sets produced a set of 37 volumes/issues with two prominent clusters between the years of 2009 and 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate gynaecological patients' preferences and satisfaction regarding information provision, exploring enablers and barriers to information access. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. Methods: A total of 293 women accessing gynaecological services responded to the survey. Quantitative analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. Content analysis was conducted on qualitative data. Results: Health professionals were the most common and preferred sources of gynaecological health information. Enablers to information provision included positive communication strategies by health professionals, participants having prior knowledge and doing their own research. Despite its widespread availability, only 24.2% of women preferred the internet as an information source. Poor communication and inadequate information provision were identified as barriers to information access. Statistically significant associations were identified between location of residence, education level, year of birth, diagnostic group and health information preferences. Recommendations from women included improved communication strategies, system changes and provision of individualized information. Conclusion: Health professionals are central to women accessing information about gynaecological diagnoses. Areas for improvement include communication strategies, facilitating access to internet-based resources for information and consideration of women's preferences when providing health information. Implications for the Profession and Patient Care: Consumer co-design of gynaecological health information and communication training for health professionals is recommended. Improved communication and facilitated use of internet-based resources may improve women's understanding of information. Impact: • This study explored gynaecological patients' preferences and satisfaction regarding information provision, exploring enablers and barriers to information access. • It was found that gynaecological patients preferred individualized information provided to them directly by health professionals and despite its widespread availability, the internet is an underutilized health information resource. • These findings are applicable to health professionals and patients utilizing tertiary gynaecological health services in Australia but may be generalized if demographic data aligns with other jurisdictions. Reporting Method: The STROBE reporting method was used in the preparation of the manuscript. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To understand the attitudes and health behaviors of middle-aged and older adults in China after receiving elevated results of tumor markers (TMs) test in the annual health examinations (AHEs) and explore the influencing factors. Methods: A three-section online questionnaire survey was conducted from March 1 to April 30, 2020 in Hangzhou, China, to people who were aged 45 and older and had at least one elevated result of TMs test. Clinical information was collected from the online survey and medical records. Descriptive statistics were carried out followed by regression analyses. Results: Of 380 participants, 76.1% were unwilling to quit the TMs test in AHEs, whereas 75.3% would take the doctor’s advice and quit unnecessary TMs test; 67.4% felt stressed about their TMs. Among participants with elevated TMs, 76.8% changed lifestyle to keep healthy, 74.2% sought health information, 58.9% requested a TMs retest, and 50.3% did further tests to confirm a diagnosis. Family history of cancer was associated with lifestyle changing; education level, area of residence and health insurance were associated with health information seeking; comorbidity were associated with retests and sequential confirming tests. Conclusion: The application of the TMs test in AHEs among Chinese people may lead to positive and negative behavioral consequences and psychological distress. Doctors have a significant impact on patients’ health behaviors. Accurate indications and adequate communication with patients before and after the TMs test are in great need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an increasingly digitized world, online information-seeking (OIS) behaviors have reflected people's intentions and constituted a critical component in synthesizing public opinion. Climate change is among the gravest threats facing the world today, and previous studies have adopted OIS data to gauge public interest in climate change. However, such studies have ignored the psychological attributes of search keywords and the role of social identities in influencing OIS. This study explores whether search strategies align with the expected confirmation biases of regions with different partisan beliefs. We use spatial web search trends to show the significant differences in the search keywords adopted by the Democrat-majority ("climate change") versus the Republican-majority ("global warming") regions of the United States. Furthermore, using the region-level search and survey data (2008–2018), we demonstrate that the preferential use of search keywords can predict climate opinions. This study concludes by discussing the significant findings and the open questions for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social norms messages may promote information seeking, especially when the norms refer to a group with which a person identifies. We hypothesized that tailored social norms messages would increase COVID-19 testing willingness and intentions. College students (n = 203, 75% female, 87% White) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (Descriptive norms: Relevant vs. Irrelevant to COVID-19 testing) x 2 (Tailoring: Specific vs. General group information) experimental design. Participants reported COVID-19 testing willingness and intentions, perceived injunctive norms, and identification and connectedness with the group in the message. Although neither the norm nor tailoring manipulation worked as intended, participants who perceived greater message tailoring and injunctive norms reported greater willingness and intentions, with no effect of perceived descriptive norms on either outcome. Tailored messages as well as messages promoting injunctive norms may promote information seeking across health contexts, thereby enabling more informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given that signage, messaging, and advertisements (ads) are the gateway to many interventions in suicide prevention, it is important that we understand what type of messaging works best for whom. Objective: We investigated whether explicitly mentioning suicide increases engagement using internet ads by investigating engagement with campaigns with different categories of keywords searched, which may reflect different cognitive states. Methods: We ran a 2-arm study Australia-wide, with or without ads featuring explicit suicide wording. We analyzed whether there were differences in engagement for campaigns with explicit and nonexplicit ads for low-risk (distressed but not explicitly suicidal), high-risk (explicitly suicidal), and help-seeking for suicide keywords. Results: Our analyses revealed that having explicit wording has opposite effects, depending on the search terms used: explicit wording reduced the engagement rate for individuals searching for low-risk keywords but increased engagement for those using high-risk keywords. Conclusions: The findings suggest that individuals who are aware of their suicidality respond better to campaigns that explicitly use the word "suicide." We found that individuals who search for low-risk keywords also respond to explicit ads, suggesting that some individuals who are experiencing suicidality search for low-risk keywords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]