Multitasking Information Behavior Project

Dr. Amanda Spink

School of Information Sciences

University of Pittsburgh

Multitasking information behavior is the human ability to handle the demands of multiple information tasks concurrently through task switching. Recent studies show that people often engage in multitasking information behavior (Spink, 2004; Spink, Ozmultu & Ozmutlu, 2002; Spink & Park, in press; Spink, Park & Jansen, in press). However, multitasking information behaviors are still little understood and an important emerging area of human information behavior research. The Multitasking Information Behavior Project is modeling the multitasking information behaviors of three groups: public library users, Web search engine users and 20 nuclear power plant teams. Results will be presented from the public library study and Web search multitasking study. The data collection from the 20 nuclear power plant teams is occurring from June to August 2005. First, in the public library project we investigated the multitasking information behaviors by 145 public library users seeking information at the Brentwood and Wilkinsburg Public Libraries in Pittsburgh through a diary/questionnaire and interviews. Secondly, the Web search multitasking study investigated multitasking and information task switch during Web search engine interaction to identify Web interface/system requirements to support multitasking search. The multitasking Web search behaviors by 40 people engaged in Web search were studied through a controlled experiment, interviews, and search log analysis. The project findings are being used to enhance theoretical and behavioral models (Spink, Park & Cole, 2005) and also have implications for the design of Web /IR systems and interfaces, and further research.

Spink, A. (2004). Multitasking information behavior and information task switching: An exploratory study. Journal of Documentation, 60(4), 336-345.

Spink, A., Ozmutlu, H. C., & Ozmutlu, S. (2002). Multitasking information seeking and searching processes. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(8), 639-652.

Spink, A., & Park, M. (in press). Information and non-information task interplay. Journal of Documentation.

Spink, A., Park, M., & Cole, C. Multitasking and coordinating framework for human information behavior. In: Spink, A., & Cole, C. (Eds.), New Directions in Human Information Behavior. Springer.

Spink, A., Park, M., & Jansen, B. J. (in press). Multitasking during Web search sessions. Information Processing and Management.