Information Need Awareness

Abstract

A fundamental goal of Information Retrieval (IR) is to satisfy search/ers' information need (IN). Advances in neuroimaging technologies have allowed for interdisciplinary research to investigate the brain activity associated with the realisation of IN. While these studies have been informative, they were not able to capture the cognitive processes underlying the realisation of IN and the interplay between them with a high temporal resolution. This paper aims to investigate this research question by inferring the variability of brain activity based on the contrast of a state of IN with the two other (no-IN) scenarios. To do so, we employed Electroencephalography (EEG) and constructed an Event-Related Potentials (ERP) analysis of the brain signals captured while participants experiencing a realisation of IN. In particular, the brain signals of 24 healthy participants were captured while performing a Question-Answering (Q/A) Task. Our results show a link between the early stages of processing, corresponding to awareness and the late activity, meaning memory control mechanisms. Our findings also show that participants exhibited early N1-P2 complex indexing awareness processes and indicate, thus, that the realisation of IN is manifested in the brain before it reaches the user's consciousness. This research contributes novel insights into a better understanding of IN and informs the design of IR systems to better satisfy it.

Prediction of the Realisation of an Information Need: An EEG Study

“…The primary objective of any Information Retrieval (IR) system is to fulfil a searcher's Information Need (IN) [4,14,18]. In the realm of IR, numerous endeavours have been dedicated to unravelling and defining the intricate concept of IN.…”

“…Consequently, over the last decade, a new line of research has endeavoured to address the inherent limitations by directly examining the neurological activity in the searcher's brain through the utilisation of neuroimaging technologies [14,[16][17][18]. Research conducted at the crossroads of neuroscience and information retrieval is often referred to as NeuraSearch [15].…”

“…One such approach involves the utilisation of Electroencephalography (EEG) data, a cheaper and more practical method, where electrical activity from the brain is recorded at a millisecond scale through electrodes placed on the subject's scalp [20]. In the research presented by [14], EEG data is employed to observe subjects' brain activity during a Q/A session. This investigation aims to understand the temporal dynamics of IN formation, detecting the presence of INs even before searchers consciously acknowledge them.…”

“…This exploration opens avenues for a proactive search process, offering insights into the early stages of information needs. Although previous works [14] provided an excellent analysis of the physical manifestations of the realisation of an IN within real-time through the use of EEG data, the question of "Can the realisation of an IN be predicted in real-time?" is still unanswered.…”