Avoiding negative information as a strategy for emotion regulation

The aim of the paper is to investigate whether the personality trait negative emotionality and sense of coherence influence emotionally motivated information avoidance, i.e., avoidance of negative information that potentially evoke anxiety or worry. Data from 412 respondents was collected in a survey which measured negative emotionality, sense of coherence and information avoidance. A conceptual model is proposed, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to analyse the data.Results. Negative emotionality was found to influence information avoidance not only directly, but also indirectly through the manageability dimension of sense of coherence. In other words, manageability mediates the relationship between negative emotionality and information avoidance. The study contributes by showing that personal inclinations impact emotionally motivated information avoidance across contexts.Peer Reviewe

Exploring Barriers to ICT Use by Middle Class Indian Women

Nations have made great strides in providing physical access to digital technologies and educational opportunities, yet barriers still exist that prevent those who have strong physical and intellectual access to information and communication technology from taking full advantage of the information and opportunities the technology offers. Women in particular are affected by social barriers which may be quite subtle and are easily excluded from taking an active role in the information society. This study explores how Indian women incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) into their daily lives and what aidsor barriers they face in the process. This study contributes to an understanding of factors that lead to Indian women’s current use of ICT, reasons why Indian women choose to use ICT, and barriers to this usage

Fast surfing for availability or deep diving into quality - motivation and information seeking among middle and high school students

Introduction. Information literacy education is central for students as a building block for functioning citizenship in an information rich world. To support students' development of information skills we need an awareness of underlying factors behind information seeking habits. This article will discuss whether differences in middle and high school students' information seeking may relate to their approaches to studying. Method. The sample consisted of 574 students, grades 6 to 12, who independently sought information in order to learn about a curriculum topic. Data were collected at three stages of the students' information seeking process with use of four survey instruments, including an adapted version of the ASSIST test. Analysis. The analysis of the ASSIST test and the structured questions was quantitative. The open questions were coded through an axial coding process and analysed qualitatively. Results. Students with different study approaches tended to focus on different information seeking aspects in addition to shared commonalities. Students with a surface approach prioritized easily available sources, deep students were aware of quality aspects, and strategic students organized and structured their searches. Conclusion. The search patterns resemble information seeking styles found in previous research. Level of engagement in the search task seems to be highly influential on information seeking behaviour

From fear to flow: personality and information interaction

From Fear to Flow explores how personality traits may influence attitude, behaviour and reaction to information. Consideration is made for individual differences in information behaviour and reasons behind individual search differences. The book reviews personality and information behaviour and discusses how personality may influence the attitude towards information. Reaction to information is examined in contexts such as everyday life, decision-making, work, studies and human-computer interaction.Introduces a little researched area which is current and needed in our Informati

Five personality dimensions and their influence on information behaviour

This article emphasize the importance of considering psychological mechanisms for a thorough understanding of users of information services. The focal point is the relation between personality and information seeking which is explored through a quantitative analysis of 305 university students' personality traits and information habits. It is shown that information behaviour could be connected to all the personality dimensions tested in the study - neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, competitiveness and conscientiousness. Possible explanations for these relations are discussed. It is concluded that inner traits interact with contextual factors in their final impact on information behaviour