scholarly journals The Value of Information Searching against Fake News

Entropy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1368
Author(s):  
José Martins ◽  
Alberto Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Evolutionary Information ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Dynamics Of Population ◽  
Optimal Information ◽  
Expected Payoffs ◽  
Evolutionarily Stable

Inspired by the Daley-Kendall and Goffman-Newill models, we propose an Ignorant-Believer-Unbeliever rumor (or fake news) spreading model with the following characteristics: (i) a network contact between individuals that determines the spread of rumors; (ii) the value (cost versus benefit) for individuals who search for truthful information (learning); (iii) an impact measure that assesses the risk of believing the rumor; (iv) an individual search strategy based on the probability that an individual searches for truthful information; (v) the population search strategy based on the proportion of individuals of the population who decide to search for truthful information; (vi) a payoff for the individuals that depends on the parameters of the model and the strategies of the individuals. Furthermore, we introduce evolutionary information search dynamics and study the dynamics of population search strategies. For each value of searching for information, we compute evolutionarily stable information (ESI) search strategies (occurring in non-cooperative environments), which are the attractors of the information search dynamics, and the optimal information (OI) search strategy (occurring in (eventually forced) cooperative environments) that maximizes the expected information payoff for the population. For rumors that are advantageous or harmful to the population (positive or negative impact), we show the existence of distinct scenarios that depend on the value of searching for truthful information. We fully discuss which evolutionarily stable information (ESI) search strategies and which optimal information (OI) search strategies eradicate (or not) the rumor and the corresponding expected payoffs. As a corollary of our results, a recommendation for legislators and policymakers who aim to eradicate harmful rumors is to make the search for truthful information free or rewarding.

Laypeople’s Online Health Information Search Strategy and Utilization for Health-Related Problems: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-Lin Chiu ◽  
Chin-Chung Tsai ◽  
Jyh-Chong Liang
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Utilization Behavior ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Search Approach

BACKGROUND With the increase of utilizing the Internet to search health information for health-related problems, there is a necessary for health care professionals to better understand how their patients search and utilize the online health information which may influence their medical decision-making. OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study were to explore laypeople’s online health information search strategies and examine the relations between their search strategies and utilization behavior of online health information. METHODS Two scales namely “match” and “elaboration” were utilized to measure patients’ basic search strategy (i.e., simple approach) and advanced search strategy (i.e., metacognitive and integrative approach), respectively. In addition, the “consultation” scale was employed to evaluate participants’ utilization of online health information to consult doctors and others. A total sample of 253 outpatients without university education were purposely selected and surveyed. The participants were outpatients at a university-affiliated teaching hospital. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with structural equation modeling (SEM) to validate the instruments. In addition, the hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine the correlations between variables and execute the interaction and curvilinear analysis. RESULTS The results of regression analysis showed both elaboration search strategy (ꞵ = 0.61, p < 0.001) and match strategy (ꞵ = 0.29, p < 0.001) were positively correlated to consultation on online health information with doctors and others. In addition, the interaction and curvilinear analyses indicated that there were significant interaction effect between elaboration and match on consultation (ꞵ = -0.34, p < 0.001) and significant curvilinear relationship between match and consultation (ꞵ = -0.12, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Increasing patients’ exposure to online health information through both simple search approach (i.e., match strategy) and complex search approach (i.e., elaboration strategy) may lead them to appropriately utilize the information to consult doctors and others. However, the elaboration approach was more recommended rather than match approach since the former may result in more desirable utilization behavior of online health information. The results of this study may help healthcare professionals better understand how to communicate with their patients through the online health information.

scholarly journals Search predicts and changes patience in intertemporal choice

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (45) ◽  
pp. 11890-11895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal Reeck ◽  
Daniel Wall ◽  
Eric J. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Consumer Welfare ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Choice Architecture ◽  
Psychological Processes

Intertemporal choice impacts many important outcomes, such as decisions about health, education, wealth, and the environment. However, the psychological processes underlying decisions involving outcomes at different points in time remain unclear, limiting opportunities to intervene and improve people’s patience. This research examines information-search strategies used during intertemporal choice and their impact on decisions. In experiment 1, we demonstrate that search strategies vary substantially across individuals. We subsequently identify two distinct search strategies across individuals. Comparative searchers, who compare features across options, discount future options less and are more susceptible to acceleration versus delay framing than integrative searchers, who integrate the features of an option. Experiment 2 manipulates search using an unobtrusive method to establish a causal relationship between strategy and choice, randomly assigning participants to conditions promoting either comparative or integrative search. Again, comparative search promotes greater patience than integrative search. Additionally, when participants adopt a comparative search strategy, they also exhibit greater effects of acceleration versus delay framing. Although most participants reported that the manipulation did not change their behavior, promoting comparative search decreased discounting of future rewards substantially and speeded patient choices. These findings highlight the central role that heterogeneity in psychological processes plays in shaping intertemporal choice. Importantly, these results indicate that theories that ignore variability in search strategies may be inadvertently aggregating over different subpopulations that use very different processes. The findings also inform interventions in choice architecture to increase patience and improve consumer welfare.

The role of extracurricular activities in shaping university students' employment self-efficacy perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kanar ◽  
Dave Bouckenooghe
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present study aimed to understand how participation in university extracurricular activities has a beneficial or detrimental impact on students’ employment self-efficacy through the intervening mechanism of information search strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from active job-searching university students across two time-points and hypothesized that the breadth of extracurricular activity participation would positively impact employment self-efficacy perceptions and information search strategies (focused, exploratory and haphazard) would mediate this relationship.FindingsResults indicate that the breadth of students' participation in extracurricular activities was positively associated with employment self-efficacy perceptions, and this relationship was mediated by focused and exploratory information-search strategies. Extracurricular activities exhibited a negative relationship with a haphazard search strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends the understanding of the role of participation in extracurricular activities for influencing a job search. Future research may replicate these findings with different samples of job seekers.Practical implicationsExtracurricular activities are typically offered at universities as a way for students to develop skills and to improve employers' perceptions of students. The present results suggest that participating in extracurricular activities may also help university students to effectively conduct a self-directed job search.Originality/valueWe examined the role of extracurricular activities from the applicant's perspective, extending prior research examining extracurricular activities from the employer's perspective. The present results suggest that extracurricular activities play an important role in shaping the job search process of university students by influencing students' confidence for finding employment. Information search strategies mediated the effects of extracurricular activities on employment self-efficacy perceptions, suggesting that participating in extracurricular activities changed the way that applicants searched for jobs.

Entrepreneurship as a Calling: A Pilot Study with Aspiring Entrepreneurs

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-300
Author(s):  
Patricia Jardim Da Palma ◽  
Miguel Pereira Lopes ◽  
Telmo Ferreira Alves
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
New Venture ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Way

Previous research in work and organisational studies has found that individuals may experience their work as a job, a career or a calling. That experience, in turn, has a significant influence on their performance. In the present study, we apply this framework to the field of entrepreneurship and examine if the experience of aspiring entrepreneurs as a job, a career or a calling impacts their ability to attract resources for a new venture by considering two different resource attraction strategies presented in the literature: network positioning and proactive search. The results show that seeing entrepreneurship as a job has a negative impact on both network positioning and proactive search strategies. Experiencing entrepreneurship as a calling, however, has a positive impact on proactive search strategy. Perceiving entrepreneurship as a career is not related to resource attraction strategies. These findings illustrate that the way aspiring entrepreneurs experience their role as entrepreneurs affects their efforts as well as others’ confidence in terms of attracting resources for their new ventures. Theoretical and practical implications are addressed at the end of this work.

Search Engine Update

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Search Engine ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Boolean Logic ◽  
Web Searches ◽  
Search Techniques ◽  
Looking Back ◽  
The Web

Looking back to 1999, there were a number of search engines which performed equally well. I recommended defining the search strategy very carefully, using Boolean logic and field search techniques, and always running the search in more than one search engine. Numerous articles and Web columns comparing the performance of different search engines came to different conclusions on the ‘best’ search engines. Over the last year, however, all the speakers at conferences and seminars I have attended have recommended Google as their preferred tool for locating all kinds of information on the Web. I confess that I have now abandoned most of my carefully worked out search strategies and comparison tests, and use Google for most of my own Web searches.

A Typology of Tourist Information Search Strategies

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Fodness ◽  
Brian Murray
Keyword(s):  
Information Search ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Tourist Information
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