Case Study of information Avoidance in Medical Students

پژوهشنامه کتابداری و اطلاع رسانی

Article 10, Volume 11, Issue 1 - Serial Number 21, August 2021, Pages 198-219   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/infosci.2021.24209.0

Authors

Farahnaz Naderbeigi¹; Alireza Isfandyari-Moghaddam^{* 2}

¹StudentDepartment of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Humanities. Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Iran

²professor\Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Humanities. Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Information behavior is a term used to describe many methods of human interaction with information. Information avoidance (IA) is also one of the aspects of information behavior and human interaction with information. IA is a set of selective behaviors and actions intended to stop, limit, and delay the search, the encounter, the processing, and the use of information. The main purpose of this study was to investigate medical students’ IA in the study of scientific articles.
Methodology: Students of Hamedan University of Medical Sciences took part in the present study, which was an applied survey. The sampling technique for this survey was random. Students completed electronic questionnaires for both IA and Need for Cognition (NFC). One-way analysis of variance, simple linear regression and multivariate regression were used for statistical analysis.
Findings: Across all students, IA and NFC averaged 2.21 and 3.55, respectively. Results showed that students' grades were associated with the level of IA. There is a significant relationship between IA and NFC, which decreases with the student's grade.
Conclusion: IA decreases with increasing NFC, as well as increasing grades of medical students. This process can be accelerated for lower grading. It is suggested that information literacy training courses, library tours, and introduction of specialized databases will be held for them.

Keywords

 Information avoidance; Avoiding of information; Need for cognition; Ignoring information

References

بابایی، کبرا؛ و بیگدلی، زاهد (۱۳۹۴). نیاز به شناخت و تأثیر آن بر رفتار اطلاع‌یابی مشارکتی دانشجویان کارشناسی ارشد دانشکده روان‌شناسی و علوم تربیتی دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی. تعامل انسان و اطلاعات،12(1)،2-20. بازیابی شده در 10 تیر 1399 از https://hii.khu.ac.ir/article-1-2463-fa.html

‏‫کیانی، محمدرضا (۱۳۹۱). تحلیل و آزمون الگوی روابط میان عدم استفاده اجباری از اطلاعات با اجتناب شناختی، جهت‌گیری منفی به مشکل و عدم تحمل بلاتکلیفی بر اساس مدل مستخرج از دسته‌بندی هیوستن (با رویکردی شناختی) (پایان‌نامه دکتری). دانشگاه فردوسی، مشهد.

‏‫کیانی، محمدرضا؛ دیانی، محمدحسین؛ و فتاحی، رحمت اله (۱۳۹۲). رویکردی شناختی به عدم استفاده اجباری از اطلاعات مفهومی نو در ساختار کلاسیک. کتابداری و اطلاع‌رسانی،16(1)، 9-39. بازیابی شده در 10 تیر 1399 از http://lis.aqr-libjournal.ir/article_42637.html

‏‫کیانی، محمدرضا؛ دیانی، محمدحسین؛ و فتاحی، رحمت اله (۱۳۹۴). آزمون الگوی روابط میان عدم استفاده اجباری (فراشناختی) اطلاعات و عدم تحمل بلاتکلیفی. پژوهشنامه کتابداری و اطلاع‌رسانی، 5(1)، 77-100. بازیابی شده در 20 تیر 1399 از https://infosci.um.ac.ir/article_29627.html

‏‫‏‫مختاری، حیدر؛ داور پناه، محمدرضا (1392). نیاز به شناخت و تأثیر آن بر رفتار اطلاعاتی دانشجویان. پژوهشنامه کتابداری و اطلاع‌رسانی، 2(1)، 33-54. بازیابی شده در 15 خرداد 1399 از https://infosci.um.ac.ir/article_26955.html

‏‫نجف پور، پروین؛ و چراغی، زهره (۱۳۹۷). رابطه میان نیاز به شناخت و رفتار اطلاعاتی: مطالعه موردی دانشجویان دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز. مطالعات کتابداری و علم اطلاعات، 25(24)، 233-255. بازیابی شده در 5 تیر 1399 از https://slis.scu.ac.ir/article_14235.html

‏‫‏‫Afifi, W. A., & Weiner, J. L. (2004). Toward a theory of motivated information management. Communication Theory, 14(2), 167-190. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00310.x

Bates, M.J. (2010). Information behavior. In M.J. Bates & M.N. Maack (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (3rd ed.) (pp. 2381-2391). New York, NY: CRC

Bina, S., & Browne, G. (2018). Information Avoidance in Requirements Determination for Systems Development. Retrieved on April 13, 2020, from https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2018/AdvancesIS/Presentations/20

Blajer-Gołębiewska, A., Wach, D., & Kos, M. (2018). Financial risk information avoidance. Economic research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 31(1), 521-536.‏ https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2018.1439396

Bors, D. A., & Gruman, J. A. (2020). Need for Cognition Scale. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, 3125-3128.

Cacioppo, J. T., & Petty, R. E. (1982). The need for cognition. Journal of personality and social psychology, 42(1), 116. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.42.1.116

Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E., & Feng Kao, C. (1984). The efficient assessment of need for cognition. Journal of personality assessment, 48(3), 306-307. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4803_13

Carter, J. D., Hall, J. A., Carney, D. R., & Rosip, J. C. (2006). Individual differences in the acceptance of stereotyping. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(6), 1103-1118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2005.11.005

Chae, J. (2016). Who Avoids Cancer Information? Examining a Psychological Process Leading to Cancer Information Avoidance. Journal of Health Communication, 21(7), 837-844. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2016.1177144

Chae, J., Lee, C. J., & Kim, K. (2020). Prevalence, Predictors, and Psychosocial Mechanism of Cancer Information Avoidance: Findings from a National Survey of US Adults. Health Communication, 35(3), 322-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1563028

Dali, K. (2018). The lifeways we avoid: The role of information avoidance in discrimination against people with disabilities. Journal of Documentation, 74(6), 1258-1273.‏ https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2018-0057

Das, S., Echambadi, R., McCardle, M., & Luckett, M. (2003). The effect of interpersonal trust, need for cognition, and social loneliness on shopping, information seeking and surfing on the web. Marketing Letters, 14(3), 185-202. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027448801656

Dunning, D., Heath, C., & Suls, J. M. (2004). Flawed self-assessment: Implications for health, education, and the workplace. Psychological science in the public interest, 5(3), 69-106. https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1529-1006.2004.00018.x

Emanuel, A. S., Kiviniemi, M. T., Howell, J. L., Hay, J. L., Waters, E. A., Orom, H., & Shepperd, J. A. (2015). Avoiding cancer risk information. Social Science & Medicine, 147, 113-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.058

Fidel, R. (2012). Human information interaction: An ecological approach to information behavior. Mit Press.

Fortier, A., & Burkell, J. (2014). Influence of need for cognition and need for cognitive closure on three information behavior orientations. Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 51(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.2014.14505101066

Fuertes, M. C. M., Jose, B. M. D., Singh, M., Rubio, P. E. P., & de Guzman, A. B. (2020). The moderating effects of information overload and academic procrastination on the information avoidance behavior among Filipino undergraduate thesis writers. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(3), 694-712. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0961000619871608

 Godwin, R., Chairunnisa, F., & Fitri, R. A. (2020). Information avoidance behavior regarding hoaxes indicators. Jurnal Psikologi Vol, 19(1Maret), 26-34. https://doi.org/10.14710/jp.19.1.26-34

Golman, R., Hagmann, D., & Loewenstein, G. (2017). Information Avoidance. Journal of Economic Literature, 55(1), 96-135. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20151245

Goodall, C. E., & Reed, P. (2013). Threat and Efficacy Uncertainty in News Coverage About Bed Bugs as Unique Predictors of Information Seeking and Avoidance: An Extension of the EPPM. Health Communication, 28(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2012.689096

Haasio, A., Harviainen, J. T., & Savolainen, R. (2020). Information needs of drug users on a local dark Web marketplace. Information Processing & Management, 57(2), 102080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2019.102080

Heck, P. R., & Meyer, M. N. (2019). Information avoidance in genetic health: Perceptions, norms, and preferences. Social Cognition, 37(3), 266-293.‏ https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2019.37.3.266

Hertwig, R., & Engel, C. (2016). Homo ignorans: Deliberately choosing not to know. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(3), 359-372.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1745691616635594

Ho, E. H., Hagmann, D., & Loewenstein, G. (2021). Measuring information preferences. Management Science, 67(1), 126-145.‏ https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3543

Houston, R., & Westbrook, L. (2013). Information-based mitigation of intimate partner violence. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 64(8), 1694-1706. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22889

Howell, J. L., & Shepperd, J. A. (2016). Establishing an Information Avoidance Scale. Psychological Assessment, 28(12), 1695-1708. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/pas0000315

Howell, J. L., & Shepperd, J. A. (2017). Social exclusion, self-affirmation, and health information avoidance. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 68, 21-26. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.05.005

Howell, J. L., Sweeny, K., Miller, W., & Shepperd, J. A. (2019). Hot or not? How self-view threat influences avoidance of attractiveness feedback. Self and Identity, 18(2), 144-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2017.1401552

Huang, S. C. (2018). Social information avoidance: when, why, and how it is costly in goal pursuit. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(3), 382-395. https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjmr.16.0268

Jung, M. (2014). Associations of Self-rated Health and Socioeconomic Status with Information Seeking and Avoiding Behavior among Post-Treatment Cancer Patients. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 15(5), 2231-2238. https://doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2014.15.5.2231

Kessler, S. H., & Zillich, A. F. (2019). Searching online for information about vaccination: Assessing the influence of user-specific cognitive factors using eye-tracking. Health Communication, 34(10), 1150-1158. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1465793

Liao, Y., Jindal, G., & Jean, B. S. (2018). The role of self-efficacy in cancer information avoidance. International Conference on Information. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78105-1_54

Lipsey, N. P., & Shepperd, J. A. (2019). Powerful audiences are linked to health information avoidance: Results from two surveys. Social Science & Medicine, 225, 51-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.01.046

Lund, B. (2020). The structure of information behavior dissertations 2009–2018: Theories, methods, populations, disciplines. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 0961000620935499. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000620935499

Mai, J., Case, D., & Given, L. (2016). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior: Emerald Group Publishing.

McCloud, R. F., Jung, M., Gray, S. W., & Viswanath, K. (2013). Class, race and ethnicity and information avoidance among cancer survivors. British Journal of Cancer, 108(10), 1949-1956. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2013.182

Melnyk, D. (2009). When we do not want to know: The Information Avoidance Model. University of Florida. Retrieved on April 13, 2020, from http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0024238/melnyk_d.pdf

Neben, T. (2015). A Model of Defensive Information Avoidance in Information Systems Use. Retrieved on April 3, 2020, from http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2015/proceedings/ConferenceTheme/3

Petty, R. E., Briñol, P., Loersch, C., and McCaslin, M. J. (2009). The need for cognition. In M. R. Leary and R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior. New York: Guilford Press. pp. 318-329.

Persoskie, A., Ferrer, R. A., & Klein, W. M. P. (2014). Association of cancer worry and perceived risk with doctor avoidance: an analysis of information avoidance in a nationally representative US sample. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 37(5), 977-987. Retrieved on April 13, 2020, from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10865-013-9537-2.pdf

Schulz, A. (2019). Populist Citizens’ Media Perceptions and Media Use in Western Democracies University of Zurich. Retrieved on March 2, 2020, from https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/175375/

St Jean, B., Jindal, G., & Chan, K. (2018). "You Have to Know Your Body!": The Role of the Body in Influencing the Information Behaviors of People with Type 2 Diabetes. Library Trends, 66(3), 289-314. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2018.0004

Sunstein, C. R. (2019). Ruining popcorn? The welfare effects of information. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 58(2-3), 121-142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-019-09300-w

Sweeny, K., Melnyk, D., Miller, W., & Shepperd, J. A. (2010). Information Avoidance: Who, What, When, and Why. Review of General Psychology, 14(4), 340-353. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021288

Swope, M. J., & Katzer, J. (1972). The silent majority: Why don't they ask questions? RQ, 161-166. Retrieved on March 23, 2020, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/25825399

Taber, J. M., Klein, W. M. P., Ferrer, R. A., Lewis, K. L., Biesecker, L. G., & Biesecker, B. B. (2015). Dispositional Optimism and Perceived Risk Interact to Predict Intentions to Learn Genome Sequencing Results. Health Psychology, 34(7), 718-728. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000159

Tan, M., Herberg, J. S., Yap, C., Samarasekera, D. D., & Chen, Z. X. (2020). Understanding factors that motivate research performance and career longevity of science, technology, engineering and mathematics postgraduates. TAPS, 5(1), 25-45. https://doi.org/10.29060/TAPS.2020-5-1/OA2073

Williams, P., & Rowlands, I. (2007). The literature on young people and their information behaviour. Information behaviour of the researcher of the future. Retrieved on March 3, 2020, from, https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.643.8970&rep=rep1&type=pdf